


Equinity

by ShenLong



Series: Equine Intervention Arc [1]
Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: AU, Angst, Lemon, M/M, OOC, Yaoi, sap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-22
Updated: 2015-01-07
Packaged: 2018-02-22 03:04:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 236,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2492135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShenLong/pseuds/ShenLong
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Heero is a successful up and coming Showjumping rider with his promising new horse  Zero. A fall at a show renders the animal injured and it is up to Duo Maxwell the new vet to treat the horse. (Fic 1 in the Equine Intervention Arc)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the G boys, I just borrow them from time to time and return them a whole lot happier, ne?

Rating: NC 17

Warnings: Sap, angst, yaoi, Lemon, AU, OOC

Pairing: 2x1

Summary: Heero is a successful up and coming Showjumping rider with his promising new horse Zero. A fall at a show renders the animal injured and it is up to Duo Maxwell the new vet to treat the horse.

Dedication: To Klingonpoodle who gave me the plot bunny for this fic. *huggles* This one's for you hun!

Many thanks to my betas Yami_Tai and Ryouga.

Archive: http://gundam-wing-diaries.150m.com  
http://adultfanfiction.net

 

Notes: All the information on showjumping, horses, etc is taken from my own knowledge of the sport having been a competitor and now judge for many years and is written from an Australian perspective. The rules and regulations are courtesy of the E.F.A Handbook. (Equestrian Federation of Australia) Should you have any questions just e-mail me. 

Many thanks to Yami_tai for the title! *hugs*

 

" Equinity "

October 2004 ShenLong 

Chapter 1

Heero ran a soothing hand along the slightly sweaty, sinewy neck that stretched out before him. "Take it easy, old fellow, no need to bust a gut," he murmured in a soothing voice. The animal's ears flicked back and forth, alternating between listening to his master and observing his surroundings. "You'll be out there soon enough and then you can show them what you're made of," Heero cajoled.

The animal snorted, tossed its head and sidestepped, as it spotted something in the surrounding hub bub it didn't particularly like. Heero's fingers closed slightly on the reins as his legs pressed against the animal's sides and encouraged it to keep walking. The horse gave a small buck in response then settled and began to walk with calm, easy strides. Heero guided him through the parking area reserved for the competitors and out into the large, warm up arena.

The grass was soft beneath his neatly shod hooves and the horse pranced a couple of times before settling again and taking in its surroundings.

Heero let him have the rein and stretch out. Once he felt the animal relaxing he shortened up the reins and pushed the horse into a trot. "That's it, Zero, nice and steady," he murmured, continuing to soothe the highly strung animal. Zero responded by arching his neck and dancing for a couple of strides before settling into a steady, rhythmic trot. Heero worked the horse around for a few minutes, varying the speed of the trot and changing direction from time to time, warming up the horse's muscles and keeping his mind fresh, alert and focused. Satisfied with his horse's performance so far, he pushed into the canter, the gait smooth and rocking, reminding Heero of a large armchair. As the horse loosened up and Heero's own muscles also warmed so he guided them towards the practice jumps and circled slowly until he had a clear run. Shortening his reins and rising slightly out of the saddle, he turned the horse towards the jump, collecting him together on the approach.

Zero eyed the approaching fence, gauged the height, selected his take off point and then lengthened his stride. His hind quarters drew underneath him and propelled his body into the air; forelegs tucked neatly up as he sailed over the bars and landed cleanly on the other side. He gave a flick of his tail as he cantered away, as if to say, "Shit, I'm good."

Heero patted the neck. "Good, boy," he said and then brought Zero back around for another practice jump.

***

Duo Maxwell smiled charmingly at the woman who was the host of the luncheon for the stewards, officials, judges and honored guests at the town's Agricultural show. He had recently moved to the small township and set up his own veterinary practice, business was slowly beginning to grow as the local clientele began to accept him and Duo now found himself with a steady income and the respect of the local people. When Lady Une, the principal organizer of the town's Agricultural show, had approached him to be the show's 'vet on duty', he'd accepted without hesitation. It would be good for his business to show an interest in the local events as well as meet more of the residents and hopefully gain some more clients.

"Thank you for a lovely lunch, Lady, and as much as I would love to stay here and chat for the afternoon, I'm afraid I can't. I really should be going and attending to my duties outside." Duo stood up and pushed his chair away from the table.

Lady Une also rose. "I cannot thank you enough for donating your time, Mr. Maxwell. Whilst it is a pleasure to have you as our resident animal doctor I sincerely hope that your services are not required." She smiled and escorted the young vet to the door of the small pavilion.

Duo chuckled. "I hope they aren't needed either, but it's always best to be prepared. Now, I think I will take myself off and have a stroll around the show. If I should be needed, please, call me over the address system and I'll be there right away."

"Thank you again, Mr. Maxwell. Will I see you before you leave today?"

"Of course. I have to return this to you, don't I?" Duo flicked the blue ribbon adorning his jacket, the golden emblazoned words 'Official' glinted in the sunlight. Shaking the woman's hand he quickly left and headed out into the crowd.

***

"Competitors for the 'Open Table A: Showjumping competition' are required in the marshaling area. All competitors in this event, please report to the marshaling area immediately," the drone of the announcer's voice crackled over the public address system informing the public and entrants alike of the impending event.

Hearing the announcement, Duo began to make his way towards the large arena that had been set up for the equestrian events. The ring was graced with various obstacles,: brightly colored poles, hay bales, multicolored tires and a formidable looking red brick wall were just a small sample of the different types of jumps awaiting the eager entrants. The Open Jumping event was a prominent event on the local showjumping calendar, the prize money and silver cup luring some of the best showjumpers in not only the local but surrounding areas as well.

Finding himself a good spot where he had a pretty clear view of most of the course, Duo settled himself down to watch. While his veterinary practice catered for all animals, most of his clientele tended to be of the small animal variety, it was surprising just how comfortably you could live by separating the local tom cats from their assets. But Duo's secret passion was horses. He didn't know why, he just loved the creatures. For an animal that was so large and strong it never ceased to amaze him how gentle and docile they could be, given the right handling. He'd grown up around them, his father having bred several animals himself before his untimely death; the result of a drunk driver. With his father gone his mother had sold the house and the horses, never having cared all that much for them and taking the proceeds, bought a smaller house in the town.

Duo had hated it. He loved the wide open spaces, having lived in the country for as long as he could remember, so being dragged away and made to settle in the town was like a life sentence to him. But he'd borne the change with grace, keeping his feelings to himself and working diligently at his studies. He was a naturally bright student and his good grades ensured him a scholarship to study veterinary science at the country's best University. He worked hard, the effort he put in showing in his grades and when he finally walked onto the podium to collect his degree - with honors - he felt as if the shackles that had bound him were finally broken and he was at last free to pursue his life the way he wanted to.

It came as no surprise to his mother when he announced he was heading back to the country with the intention of setting up his own practice. The money he'd inherited from his father's life insurance policy combined with the little he'd managed to save whilst working through his degree, despite the scholarship, had been invested wisely and now he had a small sum saved up. It wasn't huge by any account, but it was enough for him to set himself up. He'd chosen this particular district for many reasons, the lack of another vet for around sixty kilometers was one factor; the other was that it was home to several horse orientated people. But so far he'd spent most of his time with the local dogs and cats. Still, one could hope.

The crackling of the loudspeaker announcing the first competitor drew him back to the current events and he eagerly sat forward to watch.

***

Heero worked Zero around for a while longer, feeling the horse soften and respond to his touch. When he was satisfied that Zero was as ready as he was ever going to be, he settled the animal and headed back to his car and horse float to check the horse's bandages and collect his jacket and number. Mounting again, he eased Zero into a walk and made his way through the 'float' area to the marshaling ring as the loudspeaker called for all competitors to present themselves. Giving his name and number to the steward he was pleased to see he was jumping around mid field. He didn't like to go first if he could avoid it, rather preferring to sit back and watch a few other riders go around first, get a feel for how the course was 'riding', any fences in particular that might become a 'problem' fence.

He'd walked the course earlier, noting the striding in-between fences, turns and approaches to the various obstacles. The course designer had done a good job, there was plenty of room between fences if you needed it or you could take a slightly shorter track and run the risk of bringing down a fence. It was a rider's course, one that would determine the skill and knowledge of the rider but at the same time test the willingness and obedience of the horse.

Heero liked it.

He watched as the first competitor entered the ring and approached the judge. Salute given the bell was rung and the first rider was off. The crowd was silent; all that could be heard was the soft thudding of hooves, occasional jangle of bit and grunt from the horse as it put in the effort needed to get over the fence. Then came the sound all competitors hate, the rattling of poles followed by the thud as they hit the ground. The crowd groaned in sympathy as the first rider left the ring with four jumping faults.

Hero joined the other entrants in giving his condolences to the unlucky rider, but like the others on the inside he was pleased. The more penalties the others gained the better his chances of winning. There wasn't any malice in it, it was simply the way things worked in the showjumping world. Each rider knew how one day you could be up and winning everything and the next day screw up royally. Unlike many other sports where it was only yourself that was responsible for the mistakes that won or lost you the game, in showjumping you had the added factor of the horse. It was a living, breathing creature with a mind of its own and sometimes that mind took over.

It was the reason why Heero loved the sport so much.

Several more competitors entered the ring and completed their rounds, exiting with a variety of faults between them. Heero watched them carefully, noting what errors they made and adjusting his own game plan accordingly. He had complete faith in Zero. The course was well within the horse's capabilities but this was the animal's first really big show, Heero having brought him along slowly and carefully through a string of smaller shows and events, building the horse's confidence and ability until he was now at the stage where he was ready to tackle the more demanding courses.

With only three clear rounds in the competition so far it came Heero's turn to jump. The last competitor exited the ring as Heero entered, muttering something about 'watch the turn from six to seven'. Heero nodded to say he'd heard and then there was just the judge left to salute and he would be on his way. Zero picked up on the slight tension of his rider and gave a few dancing steps. He eyed the fences as he trotted past, shying playfully at the foliage decorating one in particular. Heero approached the judge and tipped his hat in respect then turned Zero and pushed the horse into a canter. The bell sounded and he gathered up the reins. Now there was just himself, the horse beneath him and the many obstacles to be jumped.

***

Duo watched the first competitor and groaned along with the rest of the crowd as the rails tumbled down. He continued to watch as horse and rider followed horse and rider, many making simple mistakes which cost them penalties. So far he'd seen some pretty good riding and a couple of nice horses but nothing really outstanding. Then a horse entered the ring and Duo's eyes were riveted.

The animal stood around sixteen hands he estimated, compact in build with muscular hindquarters. The long neck came out of well set, sloping shoulders with a short but refined head that showed intelligence. The slight dappling to the animal's gray coat added to the horse's appeal. It was truly a fine example of the equine race. Duo's eyes roamed from the animal to its rider and he found himself once more appraising the sight. The young man that sat astride the impressive beast was just as muscular and compact as his horse, even down to the hind end, Duo noted amusedly. He watched carefully as the rider sat the horse's slight prance to the left as he passed by one of the jumps. Here was a rider that not only could sit a horse well but had a certain rapport with the animal. Duo watched eagerly to see how they would perform.

Heero turned Zero and approached the start flags, seconds later they were through them and on their way. The first obstacle loomed up before them and then they were over it and baring down on the second. Jump after jump was cleared and Heero began to relax a fraction and enjoy himself. He remembered what the other competitor had said about the turn from six to seven and made sure to give Zero as much room as he could. Heero touched his hand lightly to the horse's sweating neck, a silent gesture to let the animal know that this was an awkward fence. The ripple along the satiny muscle told him that Zero understood. He didn't interfere, gave Zero a little rein and let the horse pick his take off point. The muscles gathered and bunched beneath him, hind legs pushing the large body up into the air as forelegs tucked up close. Heero rose up in his stirrups, reaching forward with his hands so as not to jag on the horse's mouth and followed the fluid movement of the horse as it arced through the air. The forelegs came out and took the shock of impact, Heero sitting down in his saddle and picking up the contact with Zero's mouth whilst his legs closed on the horse's flanks and drove the hindquarters back underneath him, balancing and steadying the horse ready for the next fence.

Duo was mesmerized. Here was pure poetry in motion. The horse and rider moved as one complete unit, flowing so easily together that it was hard to tell where the rider finished and the horse began. Anyone could see they made a great team, the confidence and trust they had in each other was simply wonderful to behold. Duo found himself holding his breath as the pair approached the last jump - a triple bar. The sound of the hooves upon the grass, the creak of the saddlery and jangle of the bit were the only sounds to be heard and then... cheering as the horse landed safely on the other side and cantered between the finish flags with a clear round.

Heero's face broke into a wide grin as he passed through the finish. He drew rein, slowing Zero and aiming for the exit, patting the horse enthusiastically. "Good boy, Zero," he said and the horse gave a low snort as if to say 'Am I ever not good?' Reaching the marshaling area and thanking the other competitors for their congratulations, Heero asked the steward for an estimation of how long it would be before the jump off. Scanning down the list of remaining riders the steward guessed it would be about an hour before he would be needed to jump again. Heero decided to take Zero back to the horse float and let him rest a while.

Once back at the float, Heero loosened the girth and replaced the bridle with a halter and tied Zero to the float. He removed the horse's water bucket and emptied most of the water out as he didn't want Zero to drink too much before jumping again and risking a bout of colic. [1] He made sure there was only a small amount of hay in the haynet, mostly to keep Zero entertained than to fill his stomach. Fetching the light, summer rug from the back of the car, Heero tossed it over the horse's back and did up the straps. Satisfied that Zero was comfortable, Heero fetched a carrot from the car and returned to the animal. Zero knew what was coming and wuffled happily through his nostrils.

"What?" Heero teased as he hid the carrot, but Zero wasn't easily fooled. He began to search Heero's pockets, soft muzzle lipping at the fabric where he scented the carrot. Zero closed his teeth on the jacket and tugged softly. Heero laughed. "Okay, you win." He reached into the pocket and took out the carrot, offering it to Zero who munched happily on it. With one last pat to the horse's neck Heero headed back to the ring to see how the competition was going.

***

Duo continued to watch as other competitors made their way into the ring and completed their rounds. None were as fluid or as graceful as the gray and its rider though, in Duo's opinion anyway. There was just a magical something about that combination and Duo began to wonder about the pair. Was he a local person or had he come from another town to compete? Did he own the horse or ride for a stable? What was his name? Was there a chance that he might be gay?

That last thought had Duo shaking his head. God, he was getting desperate! He really needed to get laid if that's how his thoughts were running. Whilst Duo had come to terms with his own homosexuality during university, he didn't broadcast the fact that he was gay. Society was still far too prejudiced in its outlook and two men together was seriously frowned upon. Duo hadn't had much in the way of a sexual life; his studies had taken care of most of his free time. He had occasionally dated girls, more for appearances sake than anything else, but they never did anything for him. He was quite popular with the female set, not just because of his good looks and charming nature, but also because he never tried to do anything more than offer them a good night kiss. No trying to grope at them or drag them into bed. In the eyes of the female population at university, Duo Maxwell was a gentleman. If only they had known the real reason for his lack of sexual interest in them.

He couldn't shake the thought though of the slender, yet compact rider of the gray. 'If wishes were horses then beggars would ride...' He snorted to himself as the old saying played through his head. God, how he wouldn't mind having a roll in the hay with the gray's rider, shit, he wouldn't mind being ridden by that athletic body himself, he'd even let the guy use his whip and spurs if he wanted too! 

Fuck! He had to get his mind back of that line of thought, he was already half hard and in public no less! Abruptly forcing his errant brain back under control he tried to focus on the showjumping course which was being raised for the jump off.

***

Heero has stood in the crowd to the side of the jumping arena and watched the remaining competitors. Once the last rider had gone through there were six of them in total with clear rounds which meant a jump off against the clock. The course was raised and Heero went into the ring along with the other riders to walk the now altered course. They had seven fences to jump, including the brick wall and the triple bar. Heero studied the new course and noted where he could cut corners and shave seconds from the time. Approaching the triple he studied the fence carefully. The height had been raised and the jump now stood at four feet six inches with a five foot spread. Zero had cleared the height before so it shouldn't pose too much of a problem to the animal, Heero mused, but the approach from the previous jump would be the deciding factor, Heero thought. If the horse landed correctly over the wall and Heero swung him out to the right a little he should be able to give the horse a couple of extra strides to gain enough impulsion to clear the fence. That was it in theory; hopefully Heero could put it into practice.

Leaving the ring, Heero went back to the float to get his horse and warm up for the jump off.

***

Duo sat on the edge of his seat as the first rider entered the ring for the jump off. The electronic timing board had been set and as the horse broke through the invisible beam at the start so the bright red numbers began to count in seconds. The pair literally flew around the course, but Duo could see the animal was beginning to lose momentum. By the time they reached the fifth fence, the horse had begun to flatten and clipped the rails with its hind legs, sending the pole crashing to the ground. It shook the rider who seemed to go to pieces after that and they crashed the wall as well, sending bricks flying. By the time they got to the triple the horse slammed the brakes on and flatly refused to jump.

The second rider came in, a bright chestnut with bounce to its stride and a look of experience in its eye. Duo knew this would be a good round. Sure enough as the horse worked its way around the course so the speed gradually increased but without losing any of the impulsion. The rider brought the animal into the triple with perfect timing, clearing the fence easily and galloping through the finish, setting the goal for the others to chase. Duo looked at the timing clock. 42.68 seconds stared back at him and he gave a low whistle. That was going to be some time to beat. It was heating up to be a very interesting competition.

The third rider came in and set of at a thunderous pace; and promptly came to grief at the third fence. The horse slowed considerably after that and completed the course without any more penalties but with a much slower time. Then the gray came back in and Duo felt his heart leap into his throat. Nervously he watched, wanting the pair to do well.

***

Heero finished warming Zero up and checked his girth as the steward called his number. Pushing his helmet further onto his head he gathered up the reins and touched the spurs lightly to Zero's side and the horse trotted forward, through the entry and into the arena. Heero ran an eye over the course, mentally going through his head the way he intended to ride it, the short cuts he could take and save precious time.

He saluted the judge and rode towards the start flags. The bell went and Zero leapt into a canter passing through the flags and heading for the first jump. It was a simple brush fence and Zero cleared it easily, ears pricked and looking for the next jump. Heero rode him perfectly, not interfering, leaving it up to the horse to select his take off point. He sat light in the saddle, hands sensitive on the reins and guided the animal around the course only applying the leg when necessary to ensure that Zero had enough energy to clear the jumps and give the horse confidence. 

The second element was cleared and the third. Heero began to enjoy himself again. Nothing could compare to the feel of the wind in your face, the smell of the grass and horse and having a powerful animal completely under your control. Zero certainly was a powerhouse of bone, sinew and muscle and sometimes Heero felt as if he were riding a stick of dynamite. The explosive power of the horse as he propelled himself into the air was a feeling that couldn't be compared.

The course was almost finished. The brick wall loomed ahead and he felt Zero falter a fraction in his stride. Heero instantly put the legs on and drove the animal together, encouraging him forward and Zero responded. The jump was a little awkward, Zero twisting his back in mid air to clear the fence with his hind legs and paying the price by stumbling on landing. Heero was a little unseated, pitching forward to bang his nose against Zero's neck but he quickly shoved himself back into the saddle and picked up the reins. There was only one fence left to jump; the triple bar.

Heero tried to get Zero back together, collect him up and get the impulsion going but the fence was approaching too fast. Zero came into it slightly wrong and put in a very short stride at the last minute. He did his best to get over it but as the horse launched himself into the air, Heero knew they weren't going to make it.

As Zero stretched to try and make the width so his front hooves tipped the back pole, dislodging it from the cups. Somehow the pole managed to get itself caught between Zero's forelegs and the horse couldn't get them straightened out to take the impact of landing.

One leg hit the ground straight, the other curled and buckled underneath him and Zero went crashing to the ground. His muzzle hit the grass, head folding under him. Heero was pitched forward from the saddle and fortunately tossed to the side as Zero somersaulted over. For a terrifying moment there was nothing but the flurry of scrambling hooves and the grunt of pain from a fallen rider, then the crowd all gasped simultaneously.

Zero struggled to his feet, broken reins dangling and a wild look in his eye. One foreleg was held with only the toe resting on the ground and the horse gave a loud whinny.

Heero saw stars as he connected with the ground, instinctively relaxing and tucking his arms and legs in. His breath left him with a whoosh and grunt and it was a few seconds before he could draw an agonizing breath back into his body. Gingerly he began to test his limbs and try to raise himself from the ground. Everything began to swim and his right shoulder hurt like a bitch but he managed to stand. He heard Zero give a pained whinny and looked around to see where his horse was. His heart stopped and a lump lodged in his throat when he spotted the animal, standing pathetically holding up a foreleg.

"Zero!.." he cried and tried to stumble towards the distressed horse as blackness invaded his vision.

~ * ~ 

tbc....

[1] Colic; this is a very serious illness of the digestive tract in horses and can be fatal if not treated quickly. It's something like a stomach ache in humans only with colic usually it means a blockage in the horse's gut.


	2. Chapter 2

" Equinity "

October 2004 ShenLong 

 

Chapter 2

Duo watched the gray and his rider as they effortlessly conquered the course. Again it struck Duo just how much of a partnership the pair presented, both horse and rider tuned perfectly together. He could feel the excitement beginning to grow in the crowd, a quick glance at the clock told him that the combination were a fraction ahead of the current time to beat. He noticed the slight hesitation of the horse's stride on the approach to the wall, the way the rider drove the animal back together and the undignified landing. With his heart in his mouth he observed the awkward take off over the triple bar and felt the twinge of fear in his gut as he realized that they weren't going to make the spread. When the pole caught between the horse's forelegs he knew it wasn't going to end well. The knot of fear grew and his breath caught in his throat as everything seemed to go into slow motion.

The horse pitched forward, one leg buckling under the weight of the landing. He watched the rider fall to the side as the horse somersaulted over and before he knew what he was doing, Duo had jumped from his seat and was under the ropes of the ring, running towards the injured animal and fallen rider. His eyes were scanning over the horse as it struggled to its feet, assessing the damage, he caught the movement of the first aid officer from the corner of his eye sprinting over from his left but he paid the man no heed; his attention was on the horse and the pained whinny he heard. He reached the rider as the man was standing up, swaying on his feet and trying to get to his horse. "Whoa, steady there, buddy," Duo said as he caught the rider in his strong arms just as he was about to fall again. "Sit down and let the medic take a look at you before you try to get up."

Heero felt strong arms wrap themselves around him as the darkness threatened to take his consciousness from him and he gratefully accepted the support. Those arms lowered him back to the ground and his brain dimly registered the soft voice as it spoke. He looked up into eyes of the most unusual color, not that he could see too clearly with his skull pounding the way it was. "Zero..." he mumbled as he looked again for his beloved animal. "Got to check, Zero..."

"Zero? Is that the name of your horse?" asked Duo as he sat the man back down.

Heero nodded. "He's hurt, need to help him."

"It's okay, buddy. You need help yourself too. Here's the medic, let him look you over and I'll take care of your horse for you."

"But..."

"It's okay. I'm a vet, I'll make sure that Zero is looked after," replied Duo. "My name's Duo Maxwell, I'm the vet on duty here today. Do I have your permission to treat your horse?"

"Yes. Please, make sure he's okay."

"I'll do my best, Mr.?"

"Yuy, Heero Yuy, and thanks."

"No problem, Heero. I'll leave you in the hands of the medic while I go check on your horse." Duo turned to the first aid officer who had now arrived and was crouched on the grass next to the fallen rider. "You might want to check his helmet, he took a pretty nasty crack to the head I think, given the way he's talking."

The medic nodded. "I'll look after him, you go see to the horse."

Duo left the rider in the hands of the medic and walked towards the horse who hadn't moved and was currently being held and comforted by a steward. "Easy there, boy," Duo murmured in a soft, soothing tone as he approached the frightened creature. He could see pain and fear in the horse's dark eyes and his heart went out to the animal. He ran a gentle hand along the sweaty neck, still murmuring softly as his hands began an exploration of the horse's shoulder area first. "Try to talk to him and keep him as still and as quiet as possible, please," Duo said to the steward and received an affirmative reply.

Duo continued his exploration, skilled fingers deftly feeling along the shoulder blade and down the forearm. He kept one eye on the horse's ears; they would give him an indication of the horse's mood and alert him to any danger. An injured horse was not always easy to deal with. They didn't take to pain very well, reacting in the only way they knew how; defensively. And that usually meant teeth or hooves. By watching the horse's ears he would be able to tell if the animal was about to have a shot at him and take evasive action, not that he thought this particular horse would try something like that. It seemed to have a look of trust in those liquid eyes. But it paid to stay alert.

His gentle fingers continued to roam along the horse's leg, down the forearm and over the knee joint, carefully probing as he went. Passing along the cannon bone, Duo could feel the unnatural heat and quickly bent to undo the bandage covering the lower leg. With the cotton protection out of the way he could feel the tendons more easily and groaned silently. He pressed on and over the fetlock joint, noting the puffiness beginning to appear. Picking up the bandage again, he wrapped it back around the leg, covering the joint as well to give the horse a little more support. Straightening his back he looked at the steward and then across to where the medic was finishing off with Heero. "I need to get him off the field and back to my surgery to confirm my diagnosis."

"I can lead him out for you, sir, but I don't know where the owner has his float parked or even if he came by float," replied the steward.

"Okay. Just wait a moment and I'll speak with the medic and the rider, see what's happening there." Duo strode back over to where the medic was assisting Heero to his feet.

"Zero?" Heero asked as soon as he saw Duo approaching.

"Your horse is injured; I need to get him to my surgery to confirm the diagnosis but I'm pretty sure he has a strained fetlock joint and torn tendons. Do you have a float?"

"Yes, but..."

"He's in no fit state to drive, Mr. Maxwell. He has a suspected concussion and possible fracture of the shoulder. I want to call an ambulance and have him taken to hospital but he's refusing to go, wants to get that damn animal sorted out first," the medic grumbled.

Duo couldn't help but grin to himself. He knew all too well what these horse people were like. Their animal came first and themselves second. "Look, can you walk?"

Heero nodded.

"Good. Lean on the medic and take us to where your float is. The steward and I will bring the horse. Once we get there the medic can strap you up or something and we'll figure out the next step."

"Arigato."

"Huh? That's Japanese isn't it?" Duo asked. Now that the medic had removed the rider's helmet, Duo could see a mop of chocolate hair. "You don't look Japanese."

"I'm part Japanese," replied Heero.

"I hate to break this conversation up but I'd really like to get him off the field and preferably to a hospital but for now anywhere other than here would be acceptable," interrupted the medic.

"Sure. You start and I'll go get the horse and follow you." Duo turned back to the steward who was still holding Zero and between the two of them they led the injured animal from the arena.

The progress was slow, not only because of Heero's still woozy head but also because Zero could only move on three legs. The crowd clapped and cheered in support as the pair left the arena, the many competitors remaining in the marshaling area also passed on their best wishes, condolences and offers of support. Again Duo had to appreciate the horse world, these riders may be fierce rivals on the field but outside the competition they banded together to help each other out when any one of them needed assistance.

It took a while but eventually they made it to Heero's car and float. Heero pressed the central locking button on his key ring and gratefully sank onto the back seat of the car. His head was pounding, not to mention his vision blurring and his right arm didn't want to work properly. The medic checked him again and muttered about stubborn horse people not knowing when to listen to their bodies, but dutifully strapped the arm up so Heero couldn't use it. Leaving Heero to sit and rest, the medic approached Duo who was just about at the float with the limping horse.

"I'd really feel a lot more comfortable if he were to go to the hospital and have a doctor take a look at him," he said to Duo. 

"I agree," replied Duo. "Look, let me get his horse back to my surgery and sorted out, he's not going to go anywhere until he knows what's wrong with his horse and that the animal is being treated and comfortable, trust me, I know what these riders are like." Duo gave the medic a grin.

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean!" replied the medic.

"Once I've got the horse sorted out I'll take him through to the hospital. You've done all you can for him so there really isn't anything else that can be done. You may as well go back to the ring and hopefully have a quiet remainder of the competition."

"Thanks, I'll do that. Best of luck with the horse."

"I'm sure he will be okay. Look, can you do me a favor?" Duo asked.

"Sure."

"Let Lady Une know that I've had to leave with this emergency. If anything else should happen that you need a vet for she has my pager number and I have my pager on me. All she has to do is call and I'll be right back. I just don't want to leave this horse untreated until after the conclusion of the show."

"I can understand that," responded the medic. "I'll go and let her know right now. No doubt she will give you a call later on to see what happened."

"Thanks." Duo had reached the car and float by now and the steward who had assisted him took his leave, duty calling and all that he'd explained. Duo let him go; there wasn't really anything that the steward could do now anyway. He found the horse's halter and gently removed the bridle, slipping the halter over the gray muzzle and doing up the buckle. He hung the bridle on a hook at the front of the float and went to the horse's saddle. He quickly ran up the stirrups and undid the girth. As he lifted the saddle off he was pleased to note that despite a few scratches and grass stains, the saddle appeared to be unscathed which was good as it was obviously one of the more expensive jumping saddles.

Duo carried the tack to the back of the car, unsure where Heero kept his gear. The Japanese man looked up as the vet approached. "Umm... Where would you like me to put this?" Duo asked.

"Aa. I'll open the back up, just dump it in there." Heero slid out of the car and wobbled around to the back of the station wagon. He fished in his pocket for the keys and unlocked the tail gate before stepping to the side and leaning heavily on the back of the car.

Duo managed to raise the back of the station wagon and dropped the saddlery inside. He spotted the horse's rug and pulled it out. Good. He would need something to keep the horse warm and prevent shock from setting in. Once a horse went into shock they didn't always come out of it. He grabbed a couple of carrots from the bag he spied in the corner and went back to the animal, Heero trying to follow behind.

"Let me help," said Heero.

"It's fine, Mr. Yuy. I can rug him up and get him settled for the trip to the surgery. You should be sitting down and resting."

"But it's my horse, you shouldn't..."

"Mr. Yuy. You have just taken a very nasty fall and are in no condition to do anything at the moment. Please, I know what I'm doing, I have been around horses before you know."

Heero collapsed against the back of the wagon. "Okay. Thank you."

"No problem. If you want to do something then feed him these carrots whilst I rug him," replied Duo and went to put the rug on the horse. With Zero now rugged comfortably and munching happily on the carrots, Duo turned his attention to the animal's leg. "Do you have leg protection for him when traveling?" he asked Heero.

"Hai." Heero ferreted around in the back of the car and produced the set of 'float boots'. [1] He dropped them on the grass next to Duo.

"Thanks. I'm going to use the bandage from his other foreleg to go over the top of this one and support the leg while on the trip to the surgery," said Duo as he deftly placed the bandage over the top of the one he'd redone earlier. Satisfied with his work he quickly put the float boots on the horse before picking up the rest of Heero's possessions from around the float and popping them in the back of the wagon.

Heero watched as Duo loaded the water bucket, brushes and haynet into the car. "How are we going to get him to your surgery?"

"Easy. I'll drive your car and float there."

"But, don't you have your own car?"

"I can pick that up later or get one of Lady Une's people to drive it back for me. Right now that's the least of our worries. We need to get Zero out of here so I can check him over properly and do something to help him. Not to mention getting yourself checked out." Duo went to the back of the float and began to lower the tail gate.

"I'm fine," growled Heero.

"Sure you are," chuckled Duo and untied the horse. "Come on, son. Let's get you on this float and take you home to my place where I can look after you properly," Duo spoke soothingly to the horse.

Zero followed behind Duo but baulked at going up the ramp and into the float. "It's okay, nothing to worry about," Duo coaxed but Zero wouldn't budge.

Heero gave a chuckle. "He won't go in for anyone other than me," said Heero.

"Oh?"

"Don't know why, he never used to be that way. Anyone could lead him up and on a float but lately he's begun to refuse to go on unless I'm leading him."

Duo shook his head. "My dad had a horse like that once, only it wouldn't go in the float unless the pony it shared a paddock with was in the float with it. He used to have to put the pony in first then load the other horse on. Once the big fellow was loaded he would take the pony off and away he'd go. Always used to amuse me," snickered Duo. 

"Funny things, horses," Heero stated as he managed to walk around to where Duo stood with Zero at the foot of the ramp.

"Amen to that." Duo handed the lead rope over to Heero. "You sure you're okay to lead him up there?"

"Yeah, I'm just a little wobbly now, not as bad as before." Heero took the lead rope and with a click of his tongue tugged gently. Zero lurched forward and part scrambled, part hobbled onto the float.

"Don't forget to duck under the..."

"Ow! Fuck!"

"...bar," Duo's eyes squeezed shut and he cringed as he heard the connection of human against steel. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'll live," groaned Heero as he emerged from the front of the float rubbing the side of his head.

Duo did his best to suppress the snicker. "All set?"

"Hai."

"I'll put up the tail gate then and we can be on our way." Duo moved to the rear of the float and lifted the tail gate. He was pleased that Heero obviously kept the float well maintained, the spring loading made it much easier to lift the gate up, unlike some of the tail gates he'd struggled with over the years and nearly been flattened by in the process.

With both the float and horse secured, Duo made sure the tail gate of the station wagon was secure and that nothing had been left behind. He was pleased to note that Heero was now sitting in the passenger seat of the car so Duo moved to the driver's side and slid in behind the wheel. He let the seat slide back a fraction; he was a little taller than Heero after all and then adjusted the mirrors. Heero passed him the keys and Duo slipped the ignition key into the slot, turning it and coaxing the engine into life.

Moments later they were making their way slowly from the parking area and out onto the road. Duo took it easy, letting the car pick up speed slowly. Towing a float wasn't easy at the best of times, expecting a horse to balance itself inside. It didn't help if the driver was insensitive to the animal and drove around corners fast, or braked too sharply. Duo had seen a few cases of float accidents when doing his degree and the terrified state of the animal, gruesome cuts and gashes to legs caused by an inconsiderate driver.

He was doubly careful this time as his cargo was also injured and trying to balance on three legs. Needless to say the trip back from the showgrounds to his surgery that normally took him ten minutes now took almost half an hour.

"I can't thank you enough for this," said Heero as he tried to break the silence in the car.

"No thanks needed. Just glad I was there to help. I really do love horses, my father had them," Duo trailed off.

"Does he still have them? Do you ride?"

"No, he doesn't; he's dead."

"Oh. I'm sorry," Heero apologized, feeling like he'd just put his foot in it.

"It's okay. He died a while ago now. Drunk driver. My mom sold the horses and we moved to the city so I've not had much to do with them since. My dad was going to teach me to ride, bought me a pony and all... but..." Duo's voice hitched a little.

"I am sorry." Heero reached his left hand across and gently touched Duo's arm. "I shouldn't have asked, it's none of my business and now I've dragged up old memories for you."

Duo shook his head. "Don't sweat it, it all happened a long time ago. Anyway, we're here now so let's get this horse of yours sorted out." Duo carefully brought the car and float into his driveway and along, past the small surgery and around the back where he pulled the vehicle to a halt.

Heero stared around at the set up. The small surgery was at the front of the property, linked to a house that stood behind by a short pathway. Behind the house, where they were currently parked, sat a small stable block. Heero could see the large breezeway down the center and assumed that stables ran off to the side. Stepping out of the car he quickly went to help Duo with the unloading of Zero. His head had cleared a bit more, something he was grateful for, he hated feeling all muzzy. He opened the front door of the float and a soft wuffle greeted him. "Hey, Zero. How you doing in there?"

Duo went to the rear of the float and lowered the tail gate. Before lifting out the rear bar he called to Heero. "You ready in there, Mr. Yuy?"

"Hai, and call me Heero."

"Okay, Heero. I'm removing the rear bar so bring him out nice and slow." Duo lifted the bar clear and stood to the side, ready to assist the horse as it came down the small ramp.

Zero was reluctant to leave the float. It was hard for him to try and back out when it hurt to put any weight on his injured foreleg. Slowly but surely, Heero managed to coax the animal back. It took ages as the horse would only move a couple of steps at a time and Heero could feel his heart breaking with each pained hobble the horse made. "It's going to be okay, boy. We need to get you off here so the vet can make you better." He knew his words probably sounded childish, but he didn't care. Zero was his pride and joy and if talking to him in this tone soothed the frightened animal then Heero would sprout all the gibberish he could.

Finally Zero was standing in the yard, having managed to get out of the float. 

"Bring him through this way," Duo said and began to walk towards the open stable complex. "You okay to lead him or would you like me too?"

"I'll be okay. We two crocks can shuffle along together," replied Heero, trying to lighten the mood a little.

Duo laughed. "Right. I'll go get the crush [2] ready," and Duo disappeared inside the complex.

Heero and Zero continued to hobble across the yard and into the complex. Heero's breath was taken away when he saw the set up and he was sure his jaw hit the ground. On the right hand side five stables ran off the breezeway. To the left there was a large padded room, the operating theatre, Heero realized when he peeked through the partially open door. Next was the crush and what appeared to be the 'work' area. Behind the crush was another room, this one Heero assumed was a feed store and tack room. Through the open doors at the other end of the breezeway, Heero could see a few fenced paddocks. 

"Just bring him in here, Heero."

Duo's words broke through Heero's mind wandering and he looked up to see Duo holding open the gate at the end of the crush.

"Just walk him in and then when you get to the other end, step out and close the gate on him before he can exit.

"Okay." Heero did as asked, Zero following him slowly. 

Once the horse was in the crush, Duo set to work. Firstly he offered Heero a seat though, close enough that he could see what Duo was doing to his beloved animal but far enough back that he was out of the way. Duo quickly removed the bandages and tossed them towards Heero. "Good thing you had these on him or it could have been worse," he said as he began to run his skilled fingers over the horse's leg. 

Heero grunted in reply, his energy level had dropped rapidly and he was really beginning to feel the effects of the fall now. 

"Easy, boy," Duo soothed as he pressed and probed around the joint of the fetlock. The leg had begun to swell, despite the pressure of the bandage that Duo had applied. "I don't think there is any bone damage but I'd like to take an x-ray to be sure if that's okay with you?"

"Hai. I want you to do whatever is necessary to make sure he's all right. Don't worry about the cost, I can pay you."

Duo looked up and scowled. "Heero, I don't give a damn about the cost either, I just hate to see a magnificent animal like this suffering. I want to help him if I can, we can worry about the bill later." Duo stood up and disappeared into the operating room. He returned a minute or so later pushing a funny looking machine. "It's a portable x-ray machine," he informed Heero who was looking at the contraption with confusion.

"Aa."

Duo brought the machine alongside Zero and set it up, positioning it on the portion of the leg he wished to x-ray. Sliding a film into the cartridge he picked up the button attached to a cord and moved away before depressing the button. The machine gave a hum and a click, then Duo returned to it and removed the used film. He set it to one side and adjusted the machine again. The performance was repeated half a dozen times before Duo was happy that he had enough 'pictures'. Returning the machine to the operating room he took the films and disappeared into the small room attached to the work area, telling Heero he would be back in a moment, once he'd developed the films.

Heero waited patiently, shifting slightly and wincing as he tried to find a comfortable position to sit in. True to his word, Duo was back soon, the x-rays in hand and a happy smile on his face.

"You'll be pleased to know that there is no bone damage at all," he said as he placed the x-rays on the small, lit viewing screen.

Heero really couldn't make head nor tail of them.

"It's as I suspected. Soft tissue damage. The tendons have torn here..." Duo pointed to a place on the x-ray. "... and here. The fetlock joint has also been strained, you can see the ligaments here have stretched."

"Duo, I really can't see what it is you're pointing at. I get what you're saying but as for the x-rays; forget it."

Duo chuckled. "Sorry. I tend to forget that most people wouldn't have a clue as to what they're looking at."

"What's the prognosis?"

"I'd like to start by wrapping the leg and joint with a cooling gel pad, bandage it for support and put him on a course of Phenylbutazone. [3] The leg will need to be hosed in cold water for a half an hour every three hours to aid in the reduction of the swelling. Once the swelling goes down some I'll start rubbing in a liniment that will help the tendons and ligaments to heal. Hopefully that should do the trick. He will be out of action for at least six months though."

"Now tell me the worst case scenario," Heero stated flatly. While he appreciated Duo's positive outlook and diagnosis, he wanted all the facts.

Duo chewed on his bottom lip for a moment then squared his shoulders and looked Heero in the eye. "Worst case scenario: If the tendons and ligaments don't repair by themselves then we are looking at surgery to do the job. There is no guarantee with surgery though and scar tissue is always a big factor. Most of the time the surgery will fix the problem but the animal is no longer any good for anything other than light riding at best."

"I see." Heero thought about the vet's words. Zero was still entire so if the worst came to the worst then Heero could still breed from him. He looked across to where the horse stood, head drooping, eyes closing in a mixture of pain and tiredness. "He's more than just a horse to me..." Heero began softly as he felt the tears welling in his eyes. "He's my best friend."

A hand found its way to Heero's shoulder. "I understand. I'll do all I can to make him better for you, Heero. Hopefully luck will be on our side." Duo gave the man a warm smile before leaving him to his thoughts and fetching the drugs and equipment he would need.

~ * ~ 

tbc.........

[1] Float boots. These are usually made of thick foam or fabric lined with sheepskin that wrap around a horse's front and rear legs to protect them from knocks and bangs when traveling in a horse float.

[2] Crush. This is a contraption consisting of steel poles, set in a rectangular shape where you can secure large animals to treat them for various things without risk of damage to either the animal or the person. 

[3] Phenylbutazone: is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. It also has analgesic (pain relief) and antipyretic (fever-reducing) activity. The drug acts directly on tissues and its most marked effects are on inflamed tissues. For more info see;: http://horseproducts.stablemade.com/_Articles/Phenylbutazone.htm


	3. Chapter 3

Duo returned with an armful of items which he deposited on the bench to the side of the crush. Picking up a bottle, he shook the contents then removed a syringe and needle from their plastic wrapping. He attached the needle to the syringe and stuck it into the rubber covering on the bottle. Drawing the plunger back, the liquid flowed into the syringe to the desired amount and Duo pulled it out. "I'll give him a shot of 'Bute now, along with a painkiller to make him a little more comfortable," he said and then picked up a second bottle and proceeded to fill another syringe with the recommended dosage. Once done he returned to the horse and swabbed an area on the neck, pressing his thumb to the spot he waited for a moment for the vein to rise before inserting the first needle and drawing back to make sure he's gotten the blood vessel. Rich, red fluid seeped into the end of the syringe and Duo depressed the plunger, easing the drug into the horse's blood stream. The second drug followed and Duo removed the needle, swabbing the area again. The used items were tossed into the trash and 'sharps' container respectively before Duo fetched the next lot of items.

Placing the stuff beside the horse, Duo fetched a bucket and filled it with cold water. Setting the bucket down and crouching beside the horse's front leg, Duo began to sponge down the swelling limb, the cool water obviously having some effect as Zero gave a low snort, something like a sigh in human terms. Duo gave a light chuckle. "Makes it feel better does it, boy?" Zero blew softly through his nostrils, stirring Duo's bangs with the exhaled air.

Heero sat back and watched as the young vet treated his horse. The gentle manner with which Duo treated Zero warmed Heero. He found himself liking the vet even more. It was obvious that he had a distinct rapport with Zero and a keen interest in the equine race in general. The way the practice was set up was evidence of that. It put Heero's small stable complex to shame. He winced as he moved in the chair, annoyed at himself for letting his horse down and now being unable to look after him properly. Heero was a very independent person, preferring to do everything for himself, from feeding and cleaning up after the horse to training and competing on him. When he had success it made it all that much sweeter to know he'd gotten it through his own hard work and skill.

Duo finished with the gentle sponging and dried the leg off. He reached for the cold gel pack and wrapped it firmly around Zero's cannon bone and fetlock joint, strapping it in place with the Velcro fastenings. Picking up a bandage, he carefully wound it around the injured limb, protecting the gel pack and providing support for the leg. Squatting back on his heels he checked that the bandage wasn't too tight and then straightened up. "That's all I can do for him for now. The painkiller should kick in any time now and the rest will be up to him, nature and the 'Bute." Duo picked up the bucket and the wrappings from the gel pack and bandage and carried them back over to the bench. "He will need to be confined to a stable for a few days, the less pressure he puts on that leg, the better the chances of healing. I'd like to keep him here for that period of time and then you can take him home and to your own vet for further treatment. If you let me know who your usual vet is I can send through the case history on treatment, diagnosis etc to him and he can continue the treatment from there." There was a touch of sadness to Duo's voice when he said those words. He'd rather keep the horse here and see the treatment through but it wasn't his place. He was merely the interim body, the one who happened to be there at the time when the animal needed him.

Looking up at the vet, Heero gave him a nod. "Okay. Thank you."

"Let's get him settled into a stable then. He needs to rest and you need to see a doctor." Duo moved across to one of the stables and slid the bolts back on the doors. He disappeared inside and returned with a water bucket which he promptly filled and placed back inside the stable. "What do you usually feed him?"

Heero looked up. "Chaff, lucerne, oats, bran and horse cubes," he replied.

"Right. I'll make him up a feed but I'll leave out the oats, he doesn't need any heating food whilst recovering." Duo went to the door to the large room behind the crush and began to lift lids on the large feed storage bins.

Listening to the sounds of food being prepared, Zero raised his head a little and gave a whinny.

Duo returned with a large bucket, filled to the brim with sweet smelling feed. He took it into the stable and dumped it in the feed bin, mixing it around. Two sets of eyes watched. Coming back out of the stable, Duo dropped the now empty bucket beside the door and walked over to the horse. "Come on, son, let's get you settled and then we can take care of your master." Duo undid the catch on the front gate of the crush and led the horse out. The pain killers had begun to work and combined with the gel pack and support bandage, Zero managed to walk a little better. He gave soft whickers of delight as he smelt the food inside the stable and eagerly went inside. Duo unclipped the lead rope and closed the stable door, sliding the bolts firmly home and then turned to Heero.

"Now that Zero is sorted out I think you need to be looked at yourself."

"I'm fine," stated Heero and went to get up. He didn't quite make it though, his muscles had begun to stiffen up while he'd sat and were reluctant to move, letting Heero know in no uncertain terms. With a grunt he sank back into the chair. "Damn!" he growled. A pair of sparkling violet eyes stared amusedly at him.

"Fine, are we? You, buddy, are going to take a trip to the hospital, whether you like it or not."

Heero hated hospitals. "Can't you take a look at me?" he asked in a hopeful voice.

"Heero! I'm a vet, an animal doctor not a human doctor. I can't treat you." Duo snorted.

"Same sort of thing," muttered Heero. 

"No, it isn't and while I'm flattered that you should trust me to treat you, I can't. It's against all the ethics, besides, human anatomy didn't come into my studies."

"But surely..."

"No, and that's final. I'm going to take you to the hospital. Look, I'll help you up to the house where you can clean yourself up a bit first, then I'll take you down to the emergency room and go from there."

"Duo, you don't have to..."

"I know I don't have to, I want to. There's a difference you know." Duo gave the injured rider a warm smile, feeling his breath quicken and his heart speed up. He could smell the rider, a soft male scent with an undercurrent of horse, sweat and leather mixed in and it did wonders for Duo's libido.

"Okay." Heero slumped back into the chair in defeat. It was clear that the vet wasn't going to let him off so he accepted the hospitality and the help with as much grace as he could muster.

"Come on then, let's get you up to the house." Duo offered his hand for Heero, who took it and allowed himself to be assisted from the chair. 

Heero managed to shuffle slowly towards the house, leaning heavily on Duo for support. His head had begun to ache again, causing white spots to dance behind his eyes and his right arm refused to work properly at all. He ached from head to toe and wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed and forget that the whole day had happened. With any luck this was all just a nightmare and he would wake up soon and find it the morning of the show, but the warmth of the body next to him, not to mention the male muskiness of the scent told him that this wasn't a dream.

"Here we are, just prop yourself up on the wall for a sec, Heero, while I unlock the door."

Duo's voice broke through the haze of pain in Heero's head and he managed to do as asked, watching through half lidded eyes as the vet fished his keys out of his pocket and slotted one into the door. Moments later he was being assisted into Duo's home and got his first look at how the vet lived.

The door opened up into a spacious kitchen, a few appliances adorned the bench tops adding a homey feel to the place. On the other side of the large breakfast bar sat a table and four chairs. This was obviously where Duo ate. 

Leading Heero inside, across the kitchen and around the breakfast bar, Duo pulled a chair out from the table with his foot and eased Heero into it. "Sit there for a moment, Heero, and I'll go get a fresh towel out and take you through to the bathroom where you can clean up a bit."

"Arigato." Heero was too exhausted to say anything more and opted to watch as Duo disappeared through a door, presumably in the direction of the bathroom. While Duo was gone, Heero took a look around. The kitchen, dining and lounge area were all combined in one large section. A door led off the kitchen, to the laundry area, Heero presumed. There was the door that Duo had gone through, no doubt the bedrooms and bathroom were down that way and then there was another, large glass sliding door to the side of him. He twisted a little in his chair and noted that the doors led out to an enclosed patio section. He could just make out the end of an outdoor setting to one side and a barbecue pushed against the wall on the opposite side to the door.

"I've put a towel out for you to use, Heero. I think you should just clean up your face for now though, you can have a shower once the doctor has had a look at you and gives us the verdict." Duo came across the room to Heero and offered him support to walk through to the bathroom.

Heero gratefully accepted once more and slowly made his way through to the bathroom. Once he was inside Duo shut the door to give him some privacy after extracting a promise that Heero would call out for him if he needed any help. Once the door had closed, Heero slumped a little, letting the pain escape for a moment and giving a soft moan. He shuffled over to the toilet and lifted the lid; he really needed to relieve himself. Heero was right handed which now posed another problem to him. Somehow he had to get the zipper down, which wasn't easy at the best of times considering how form fitting the jodhpurs were that he wore. Utilizing his left hand as best he could and with several frustrated grunts and a close call where he thought he was going to almost wet himself, he finally managed to tug the zipper down and free himself from inside. His eyes closed in bliss and a soft sigh of relief escaped him as he began to relieve himself. When the flood finally slowed to a trickle, Heero shook the droplets off and then faced another problem. He could tuck himself back inside but had no hope of coaxing the zipper back up.

He tried for a few minutes and eventually gave up. He'd have to swallow his pride and ask for Duo's help. He pressed the flush button and moved to the sink to wash his hands. Again it was easier said than done. His left hand turned the tap on but it took him an agonizing few minutes to get his right arm out of the sling the medic had put it in and straightened out enough to be able to put it under the running water. 

He looked at himself in the mirror and wished he hadn't. His eyes were slightly sunken into his head, a dark bruise was appearing on his right cheek and there were grass stains over the shoulder and sleeve of his jacket. There were a few grubby patches on his cheeks, along with grazing that had evidently occurred when his face had skidded into the arena. He sighed to himself and picked up the wash cloth that sat beside the basin. Running the water over it he did his best to get some soap on it and scrubbed at his face. No wonder Duo had suggested he clean up a bit before going to the hospital, he looked a wreck.

While Heero was busy in the bathroom, Duo put the kettle on to boil and fetched two cups out. He sat a tea bag in each and fetched the milk from the 'fridge. Waiting for the kettle to boil, he went through to the 'phone and called Lady Une's number. He had promised after all to let her know what had happened and how the horse was. There was also the small matter of his car. While Duo wasn't worried too much about the car, he did have a boot full of drugs and equipment that he really didn't fancy sitting around where anyone could get at it, besides, he would need the car if he had a call out.

The 'phone rang a few times, and then it was picked up and Lady Une's voice sounded down the line. Duo kept the conversation brief, giving the woman a quick run down on what had occurred and assuring her that the horse was as comfortable as could be expected. He thanked her again for her hospitality at the show and arranged for one of her show staff to call by and pick him up on the following day and bring him over so that he could return the 'official' ribbon and pick up his car. With the call out of the way and the kettle whistling in the back ground, Duo hung up and switched the kettle off. He poured the hot water into the two mugs and let the tea steep, stirring a spoon idly to assist the leaves. He heard Heero call his name and left the mugs on the side to go and see what Heero needed.

Having finished cleaning himself up as best he could, Heero rinsed the wash cloth through and placed it back by the basin. He dried his face off, patting gently over the bruises and abrasions and trying not to wince with the sting. Once finished he looked himself over again in the mirror. At least he was a little cleaner now, even if he still looked like he'd gone five rounds with Mike Tyson... and lost. Now all he had to do was zip up his fly and head back out to Duo. He tried again with his left hand but the tab flatly refused to budge. It simply stayed where it was, tormenting him with its tubbornness. He tried to use his right hand but as soon as he went to move it his shoulder burned fiercely and he blinked back tears of pain. There was nothing else for it, he would have to swallow his pride and ask Duo to zip him up. Taking a deep breath and trying to ignore the throbbing of his shoulder and the fast beating of his heart, he called out for Duo.

"You called for me, Heero?" Duo's voice questioned from the other side of the door. 

"Hai. I need a little help here if you don't mind." Heero could feel his cheeks flush.

"Okay." Duo turned the handle and entered the small bathroom. "What do you need?" he said as he took in Heero's slightly flushed face.

"I... Ummm... I need some help with..." Heero couldn't get the words out of his mouth; his tongue was tangling itself up around the words so he used his left hand to wave in the direction of his fly.

"Ah. Oh. Ummm... I see." Duo flushed a little now. "You've?"

Heero nodded.

"You can't?"

"No. My right arm won't work properly and my left is too awkward to ... "

"Errr... okay then. Hang on a sec and I'll see if I can get it up..." Duo blushed even harder as he realized what he'd just said. _Shit! Nice going there, Maxwell._

"Sorry to be such a bother but I can't exactly walk into the hospital like this," Heero apologized. He'd begun to feel very uncomfortable for putting Duo in such a position. Not to mention that having the very good looking man touch him there, even if it was only to zip him up was giving him thoughts that he shouldn't have. Duo was a very attractive man and Heero knew he could easily fall for him. He'd never lied to himself about his own preferences, having understood he was 'different' from other boys his age when he'd hit puberty. While most of his friends were jacking off to Playboy he was busy checking out the latest editions of 'He-man' magazines. [1] But that was his own skeleton in the closet and he wasn't about to open the door for it to ruin what looked like becoming a good friendship.

Duo was faced with his own dilemma. He was quite happy to help Heero out and zip him up but heaven knew what it was going to do to his own hormonal state. Biting the inside of his lip and wondering if his face was going to burst into flame, he reached out with trembling fingers and took a hold of the tab and tried to pull it upwards. It was as if the zipper knew his intent and stubbornly refused to budge, instead he only succeeded in pulling the material of Heero's jodhpurs up and causing a small wince and gasp from the rider.

"Ow!" The exclamation left Heero's mouth before he could stop it. The tug to the zip having pulled the material tight against his balls in a painful fashion. The jodhpurs were snug fitting anyway, without the added stress to his lower regions.

"S-S-Sorry," stammered Duo. "I didn't know it would do that."

"It's okay," replied Heero, his voice a little higher than he would have liked.

"I'll need to hang on to the bottom of the material to stop it from doing that and line the zipper up easier. Is that okay?"

Heero nodded. He was having a stressful time trying to stop his body from reacting to the touch of this lovely man around his nether regions. He moved his right arm just a fraction and pain flooded his nervous system quickly quelling any amorous thoughts his libido was about to have.

Duo grasped the tab again and brought his fingers to the material. He quickly took a firm hold and slid the disappointed zipper up the teeth to the top, unfortunately his fingers brushed over Heero's package as he did so. "There you are," Duo said as he straightened up on slightly wobbly legs and turned around so Heero wouldn't see his burning cheeks. "I'm making some tea, would you like a cup?"

Heero had to take a couple of deep inhalations himself to try and steady his wanton body. The brush of Duo's fingers over his cock had felt good, but this was not a good thing he chastised himself. Duo had been merely helping him out and was probably disgusted by his incompetence. Duo's question penetrated his mind and brought him from his line of thought. "Hai, I'd love a cup please."

"How do you take it?" Duo groaned inwardly. Why did everything he said come out with a sexual innuendo of some sort?

"White with one sugar, thanks."

"Okay. I'll go finish making it. You okay to come out by yourself or would you like a hand?" Duo ignored his libido that was jumping up and down in his mind with glee as his double entendre words continued to flow.

"I'll be okay, I should managed to walk out there on my own, but thanks anyway." Heero really wanted a couple of minutes alone to gather himself back together.

"If you need any help, just call," Duo said and then headed back out to the kitchen.

Heero paused for a moment and ran the damp cloth back over his face once more to try and alleviate some of the redness from his cheeks. Feeling a little more comfortable and in control, he exited the bathroom, moving slowly down the hall and back into the kitchen. Duo was busy with the milk and sugar so Heero shuffled over to the chair that was still standing where he'd vacated it before and sat down. A mug appeared beside him and he was aware of Duo sitting opposite him.

"Drink that up and then I'll take you down the hospital," Duo said as he blew on his own mug.

"Arigato." Heero reached for the mug of steaming tea and sipped carefully at it, he didn't need a burnt tongue added to his list of injuries.

"Is there anyone you need to call? The 'phone is over there if you want to use it. I don't know if there is someone waiting for you back home, you know, that might be worried when you don't turn up soon."

Heero looked to the window and noticed that dusk was beginning to settle, he'd had no idea how much time had passed. Turning back to face the vet he gave a tired smile. "Thanks, but no. I live alone, just me and Zero."

"Oh, okay then." Duo returned to his mug of tea and couldn't help but notice a flinch of pain as Heero moved the wrong way. "You in a lot of pain?"

"It's bearable."

"I'd offer you some pain killers but I don't think that would be wise until you've seen the doctor and know what the damage is."

"I agree." Heero returned to his contemplation of the cup.

"You don't mind if we take your car to the hospital do you? Mine's still at the showgrounds, one of Une's committee members is going to swing by in the morning and pick me up to go and fetch it, so I don't have any transport at the moment."

"That's fine. Look, I can drive myself to the hospital, you don't have to go if you don't want to."

Duo gave an exasperated sigh. "Will you just knock off the tough guy shit? There's no way you can drive that car with one arm, you know it and I know it. I'm not exactly snowed under with calls here and Sunday is usually my day off, I'm only open for emergencies and if your case isn't an emergency then I don't know what is. If anyone needs me the answering machine will pick up and give them my pager number if they don't already have it. I have my pager on me all the time so if something should crop up anyone can get me quickly."

Heero slumped in defeat. "I don't know how to thank you," he whispered.

"Then don't. I don't need your thanks, Heero. I'm happy to be able to assist you, besides, it's nice to have some company for a change, other than the four footed kind or the simpering female kind that only bring their animals in so they can ogle the new vet."

Heero gave a small smile at those words. He hadn't thought that Duo would be lonely; he thought he would have had a string of girlfriends, he was certainly good looking and charming enough. "I don't want to cause any trouble between you and your girlfriend."

Duo snorted. "No way, buddy! Firstly I don't have a girlfriend and frankly I don't want one either. Have you seen the local single female population around here?" Duo shuddered.

"Iie, I haven't."

"Well, let me tell you, I'd rather surround myself with dogs and cats than some of the women out there."

Heero chuckled. "That bad, huh?"

"Heero, you have no idea."

"I would have thought you'd be hooked up with someone though, I mean, you're well set up here, have a good, easy going nature and hot looks." Heero suddenly stopped when he realized what he'd said and stared deep into his mug of cooling tea wishing he could retract the last few words.

Duo was a little stunned to say the least but let the words slip past, he could analyze those later. He could see that Heero was clearly uncomfortable with what he'd said so Duo tried to put him at ease. "That's the problem right there, Heero. They only want me for my body," he teased. 

The light words lifted the tension from the air and Heero managed to relax a little once again.

"I swear I will remain celibate until I meet someone who is interested more in my personality than getting into my pants." Duo drained his mug and got up to put it in the sink. "I'll go and unhitch the horse float, then we can get you to the hospital and looked at." Duo left the kitchen.

"I'd like to get to know more of you, Duo Maxwell, and maybe get into your pants," Heero murmured softly.

Duo's sharp hearing picked up on the words he wasn't meant too and his brain froze in shock. He forced himself to continue outside and to the car where he began to unhitch the float while his mind digested the words that Heero had softly spoken. Did that mean what Duo thought it meant? Was there a chance that Heero was interested in him? That Heero might also be gay? Short of coming right out and asking Heero, Duo didn't know what to do, so he did nothing, shoving it to the back of his mind to think about later.

With the float unhitched, Duo straightened up and went back to the house to fetch Heero and take him to the hospital. His thoughts would have to wait until later.

~ * ~

tbc......

[1] I have no idea if there is a magazine out there called this, I simply made it up for the purpose of this fic.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

With the float unhitched and the car turned around, Duo went back inside his home to fetch Heero. Five minutes later they were traveling down the road and on their way to the hospital. "You shouldn't have to wait too long in emergency," said Duo in an attempt to make conversation.

"I hate hospitals," muttered Heero.

"Love them or hate them, you need to get that shoulder looked at. The way you're holding it tells me that it could be fractured," stated Duo as he turned down another road.

"I hope not," replied Heero. "I can't afford to be out of action."

"Rest is what you need."

"Don't have time for that. Zero needs to be looked after and then there is my job."

Duo's ears pricked up. "What is it that you do, Heero?"

"I'm an accountant."

"Oh. I guess having your right arm out of commission isn't going to be too good for your job then."

"I'll manage. I can still type with my left hand, but it will be slow."

"So, where do you live, Heero? I haven't seen you around this part of the country before so I take it you're not local?"

"Actually I live just on the outskirts, next shire over. The company I work for opened up a new branch there and I was asked if I wanted to relocate so I did. I'd previously been living in the city," replied Heero.

"What about Zero?"

"I had him agisted at the local riding school. Moving out here I was able to rent a place with a couple of acres."

"Ahh." Further conversation was prevented as Duo swung the car up the driveway to the hospital and pulled up into one of the bays designated for ''emergencies'. He cut the engine and got out, quickly moving to the passenger side to assist Heero. 

Leaning heavily on the vet, Heero managed to walk into the emergency room and up to the desk where a pretty young clerk took his details. Waiting for Heero to finish with the clerk, Duo took a look around. As he'd predicted there weren't many people in the emergency room. Heero returned from the desk and sat next to Duo, face wincing in pain as he sat tiredly in the chair.

"Want something to read?" Duo asked and nodded at the magazines stacked conveniently on a table.

Heero gave the pile a quick look over; they appeared to be all women's magazines, and the odd Reader's Digest. "Pass," he replied.

"Don't blame you, think I will too," responded Duo and leant back in his chair, arms folded across his chest. He let his eyes drift partially shut, it had been a long day and it was starting to catch up with him. Beside him, Heero also let his eyes close.

Duo wasn't sure if he'd dozed off or not when the sound of a nurse's voice penetrated his mind.

"Mr. Yuy? Heero Yuy?"

He nudged Heero. "Wake up, buddy. The nurse is calling you."

Heero gave a grunt, his eyes opening. "I'm Heero Yuy," he said.

The nurse smiled. "This way if you please, Mr. Yuy." The slim nurse held the door open and indicated for him to go through.

Heero felt a moments panic and as he stood he turned to Duo. "I know this is probably going to sound stupid, but would you...?"

Duo gave him a smile. "No problem." He stood up and assisted Heero through the door and followed the nurse to a cubicle.

"Just hop up onto the bed, Mr. Yuy. The doctor will be with you soon."

Heero looked at the bed and then the retreating back of the nurse. "And just how the hell am I supposed to do that with only one arm?" he growled. Behind him Duo snickered.

"Here." Duo pulled out a small step from underneath the hospital bed. "Use that and lean on me."

With a few grunts and a soft gasp of pain, Heero managed to climb up onto the bed and sat with his legs dangling over the side. Duo plonked himself down in a chair beside him and immediately began to study the various items and apparatus around the bed. Most of it he recognized, after all, there wasn't that much difference in the things that he used in his profession and what the human doctors used in theirs. When he thought about it he probably could have treated Heero as he'd been asked, but he was an animal doctor and even though there were a few similarities, there were also a lot of differences. He was still quite amused though that Heero had obviously preferred that he treat him as opposed to the doctor. The curtain was pulled back and a smiling faced doctor entered the cubicle.

"Ahhh, Mr. Yuy," he said as he picked up the chart the nurse had left on the end of the bed with Heero's details on it, the details he'd given the clerk. "I'm Doctor Richards. You had a fall from your horse and hurt your shoulder, correct?"

"Yes." Heero thought it was pretty obvious that he'd hurt his shoulder, after all it was in a sling. Is this why what doctors spent many years in college and then internship for, to state the obvious?

"Any other damage I should know about?"

"No."

"Yes."

Heero turned and looked at Duo who had spoken up and got a sheepish grin in return.

"He landed heavily on his right hand side, shoulder and head took most of the force. The medic checked him out and suspects a fractured shoulder along with concussion." Duo turned to face the scowling rider. "Whilst you may have experienced it, I saw it and you're going to tell the doc here what hurts and what doesn't, otherwise he's not going to be able to fix you up properly."

"And you are?" The doctor asked after he'd silently watched the exchange, appreciating the more in depth information as to his patient's injuries.

"Maxwell, Duo Maxwell, Doctor Richards. I'm the new vet and treating Mr. Yuy's horse. He's unable to drive himself so I brought him up."

"Ah, I see. When exactly did you have the fall, Mr. Yuy?"

"I'm not sure," replied Heero a frown marring his face.

"About four hours ago, doc. He was competing in the open jumping class at the Ag' show," Duo supplied.

"Why on earth weren't you brought here immediately?"

"Zero was hurt, he needed attention."

"Zero?"

"His horse," Duo answered. "Refused to go anywhere until the horse was taken care of."

"I see," said the doctor in a rather annoyed tone. "You really should have come here right away, Mr. Yuy. There could be internal injuries or other damage that needs to be seen to straight away."

"I'm okay, Zero needed help more than me."

"These horse people, always the same," muttered the doctor. "Their animal first and themselves last."

Heero glared, Duo began to snicker and cleverly turned it into a coughing fit when the doctor looked his way. 

"I certainly hope that the horse is doing much better than the rider," he stated with a touch of sarcasm.

It went right over Heero's head. "Yes, he's much better now that Mr. Maxwell has taken care of him."

Giving up on the sarcasm the doctor approached the patient. "Let's have a look at you then and see what's happened to this shoulder. Can you take your arm out of the sling please?"

It took a little maneuvering but Heero extracted his arm. The doctor stared and frowned. "What?" said Heero flatly.

"I need to get your jacket and shirt off to examine you properly."

"Oh." Heero wasn't too sure about getting the jacket off, it did fit along the lines of his jodhpurs, only not quite so snug.

"If you can't remove it then I'm afraid I will have to cut you out of it, it's necessary for me to examine you properly and no doubt take x-rays."

"You're not cutting it off." Heero stated. "It's almost brand new and cost a lot. I'll get out of it somehow."

"Your call," shrugged the doctor. "I'll leave you to take it off; whilst you're doing that I'll go and organize radiology for x-rays. Back in a moment." The doctor left the cubicle, pulling the curtain around as he went and leaving the two men alone.

"Want a hand?" Duo asked quirking an eyebrow.

"Hai, if you don't mind. There's no way he's going to cut this jacket off me," growled Heero.

Duo shook his head and stood up. "Let's get your left arm out first and then maybe we can slide it off your right one with minimal movement for the arm." 

Heero agreed so Duo removed the sling, pulling it up over his head and popping it on the chair. Then he reached for the buttons and quickly undid them. "Now for the tricky part. See how far you can bend your right arm, Heero. I need to get a little slack in the jacket here to get it off your left arm so the straighter your right, the easier this will be."

Heero did as asked, slowly moving his arm and gritting his teeth as pain burned along the limb and through his back. Duo was as careful as he could be trying not to cause Heero any more pain that he was already experiencing. He managed to work the sleeve of the jacket over Heero's left arm and once it was free it slid off the right arm with virtual ease. 

"Good. Now for the shirt." Duo leant in close and undid Heero's tie, putting it with the jacket on the chair before returning to unbutton Heero's shirt. His fingers shook a little as his hormones chose to torment him, telling him how lovely this was to be undressing such a hot man. He tried to tell his hormones to shove off but they wouldn't listen, continuing to tell him just how sensual this could be. It didn't help any that as he released Heero from the garment the man's smooth and finely honed, muscular chest came into view, along with his unique male scent. Duo groaned as he felt his nether regions stirring; now was not a good time to be getting a hard on!

Heero heard the soft groan and gave a startled look in Duo's direction but he couldn't see the vet's face to indicate what the problem might be and as Duo continued to divest him of his shirt he thought it mustn't be important as Duo would have said something or stopped. As the fabric of his shirt opened up so a soft exhalation of warm air passed over his chest and before Heero knew what was happening his body began to react. His nipples began to harden, along with something else and given the snug fit of his jodhpurs he knew he wouldn't be able to hide it either. Fuck! Just what he didn't need right now. 

"There, all undone. Now, let's see if we can get this off you," Duo said as he tried to straighten up and keep his lower half out of Heero's line of sight. As he raised his head and shifted to the side to grasp the material at the cuff of Heero's left hand, his eyes briefly traveled over Heero's lap, then came to a screeching halt and returned for another, discreet peek. If he wasn't mistaken the bulge in Heero's jodhpurs was a little larger that it had been earlier when he'd assisted the rider to zip up. Yup, definitely larger. Damn! Now Duo knew for certain that he hadn't misheard the soft words Heero had spoken before leaving to come to the hospital. But what to do about it? Now wasn't the time or the place for such things, besides, he still wasn't completely sure and there was no way he was going to come out and ask Heero if the lump at his groin meant he wanted Duo. A soft gasp from Heero dragged him back from mind space and he realized he'd pulled a little harder than intended on the shirt. "Shit! Sorry, Heero. I wasn't thinking," he apologized and then continued to remove the shirt, with a little more care.

Heero wasn't sure if Duo had spotted his 'problem' or not but the sudden burst of pain soon took care of any happenings down below as quickly as they had arisen. Nothing like a flash of pain to cool the ardor. He winced again as Duo removed his shirt completely and shivered as the cool air brushed his skin. He heard Duo give a low whistle and turned his blue eyes to the vet's face.

"Fuck! You sure did take a dive, Heero," Duo said as he looked at the abused shoulder. The skin was mottled red and purple, heat rolling off it and swelling beginning to show. "No wonder you're wincing, damn! That's gotta hurt, buddy." Duo shifted to stand beside Heero's right side and gently reached forth to brush his fingers over the bruised shoulder.

Heero shivered again but not from the cold this time. Even though the area was extremely painful and tender, Duo's fingers were gentle and soft against his skin. He wondered if Duo would be as gentle and tender with his love making. The curtain was suddenly pulled aside and Duo jumped back, a guilty look on his face as the doctor returned.

"Ah, good. I see you managed to get the shirt and jacket off." If the doctor had seen Duo's guilty look then he didn't comment, instead he moved over to take a good look at Heero's shoulder. His skilled fingers ran over the skin, pressing lightly here and there and asking Heero to tell him what hurt and what didn't.

Heero grunted and groaned in all the right places then let out a yelp as the doctor began to manipulate his arm and the joint. "Fuck! Watch it, doc, that damn well hurts!"

"Sorry, but I have to see what movement you have in the joint." Finally the doctor seemed satisfied with his prodding and poking and moved to check Heero's head. His hands and fingers worked over the scalp, feeling and noting the bumps. A light was shone in Heero's eyes, pupils dilating and constricting on cue then following the movement of the doctor's finger. Finally the doctor seemed happy he'd done what he could and straightened up to make a few notes on the chart. "I'm going to send you down to X-ray now and get a few pictures of that shoulder taken; whilst you're there I'll get a CAT scan of your head just to make certain there's no damage there. Nurse Pollard will take you down and bring you back. I'll see you once you return with the films." The doctor turned and left the cubicle.

Heero sighed and rolled his eyes. "I hate hospitals," he repeated.

Duo chuckled. "Never mind, Heero. Shouldn't be too much longer and the worst is out of the way."

"Don't be so sure. The people in radiology tend to be sadists," Heero shot back. "They twist and turn you in all sorts of painful ways to get their pictures. I'm sure they must run a book to see who can get the most screams of pain from a patient in one day."

Duo snorted, a grin on his handsome face. "And how many are you going to add to the tally?" A glare was his answer.

The nurse came in with a wheelchair then and between the two of them they managed to get Heero from the bed and into the wheelchair. Duo took control of the 'driving' and followed the nurse down the corridors and into the radiology department. Parking Heero beside a chair, Duo sat down once more to wait. This time though they didn't have to wait long, the radiologist calling them in almost immediately. Duo pushed the chair into the small x-ray room and then left Heero to the mercy of the radiologist. He saw enough x-rays without needing to add anymore to the list. He went to wait back in the small waiting room.

Half an hour later the young nurse wheeled Heero back out and stopped the chair next to Duo. "I'll just go and get the films and then we will take you back to the ER, Mr. Yuy."

As the nurse disappeared so Duo leaned in close so as Heero would be the only one to hear him. "How was it? I didn't hear any blood curdling shrieks out here so either the room is sound proofed or you have one hell of a pain threshold," he grinned.

"If you must know it was... painful." Heero huffed. "Traitor," he added as an after thought.

"Hey, I hate wearing those lead aprons and I sure as hell ain't gonna be exposed to harmful x-rays that could make me sterile," Duo teased.

"X-rays can make you sterile?" Heero questioned as he paled.

"Yeah, thought you knew that?" Duo's eyes danced with merriment, Heero was so easy to tease, to fool.

"No, I didn't," replied Heero. "Shit! Duo, you don't think...?"

Duo laughed out loud. "Nah, I'm just teasing you, Heero. Although if you did have enough exposure to them without protection it can stuff you up but it would take a shit load of them and I don't think you would be anywhere near the recommended dosage." Duo gave the rider a wink.

Heero breathed a sigh of relief; then glared. "Not fair," he retorted. "Taking advantage of me when I'm injured."

"I'd love to take advantage of you, Heero." With a start Duo realized he'd spoken the words out loud. _Fuck!_

Heero's breath hitched and his head slowly turned to face the rather red looking vet but before he could question Duo the nurse returned with a large envelope in her hand, obviously Heero's 'films'.

"Okay, Mr. Yuy. I have your results here so we will take you back to the ER where Doctor Richards can take a look at them and let you know what the verdict is."

Duo quickly stood up, grateful for the interruption and rescue from the embarrassing situation he'd dumped himself into. Taking hold of the wheelchair handles he began to 'drive' back to the ER, following behind the shapely nurse.

Heero watched the sway of the woman's hips as she walked but he didn't see them, his mind was too busy chasing itself over Duo's word slip. He couldn't swear to it but he was sure that Duo was interested in him. Arriving back at the cubicle, Heero pushed the thoughts aside for the moment, he could analyze them later, right now he had a sadist of a doctor to deal with, not to mention finding out what the damage was and how long it would be before he was back to normal. Duo and the nurse assisted him back onto the bed and the kind nurse wrapped a cellular blanket around his shoulders to keep him warm before disappearing to fetch the doctor.

Duo sat back in the chair after moving Heero's shirt and jacket to the side. He eyed the large envelope, fingers twitching with the need to take a look inside. He loved to stare at x-rays, see all the secrets of the bones revealed but before he could give in to the urge, Doctor Richards arrived.

"Ah, back again, I see."

Heero declined to answer.

The envelope was opened and the doctor slid the films and the small paper out, scanning the radiologist's report and then holding up the black film to the overhead fluorescent light. Duo's eyes followed the x-ray, trying to see what the damage was but it was a little difficult from his current position. With a soft 'Humph', the doctor raised another film to the light, then the rest followed one by one. The CAT scan result and picture were the last to see the artificial light before the doctor slipped them all back into the envelope and turned to face his patient.

"Well, Mr. Yuy. You will be pleased to know that the CAT scan is clear; there is no damage to your head. I'd say you're suffering with mild concussion though so rest is imperative...."

Heero breathed a sigh of relief.

"... As for your shoulder..."

Heero held his breath again.

"... There is a mild hairline fracture of the shoulder blade, the ligaments and tendons have also been strained, not to mention soft tissue damage, which will show up as bruising over the course of the next few days."

"Shit!"

"You're a very lucky man, Mr. Yuy. Given what Mr. Maxwell said about the fall it could have been a lot worse," the doctor said as he moved to the head of the bed and reached to the drawers of the cabinet that stood there.

"So what's the treatment, doc?" Duo thought he'd better ask as it seemed that Heero was either incapable or didn't want to.

"The shoulder will need to be strapped up and the arm immobilized. I'll give him some pain killers and anti inflammatories, other than that there isn't much else we can do. The arm will be out of use for six weeks minimum, then physiotherapy in around seven to eight weeks should see full use of the shoulder again. It's going to be painful for a while as the bone and tissues heal but the pain killers will help with that. As for the concussion, he will need to be kept under observation for twenty four hours. If he passes out or becomes delirious at all, bring him straight back." Having located the supplies he needed from the cabinet, the doctor placed them to one side. "I'll go and get the drugs now. This will be much easier for both of us once you've got the painkiller into your system. Are you allergic to anything, Mr. Yuy?"

'Only doctors and hospitals', Heero wanted to reply but instead he shook his head. "Not that I know of."

"Right. I'll give you some Pethidine [1] for now, it's just as good as morphine but doesn't have some of the side effects that morphine can have sometimes." The doctor disappeared again, leaving the two young men alone.

Duo whistled through his teeth. "Bad luck, Heero, but I thought it might have been a fracture."

Heero looked glumly back at him. "I don't know how the boss is going to take this," he muttered.

"I'm sure he will be understanding, Heero."

"Yeah, well I do have a few sick days up my sleeve so I guess I can use them." Heero's thoughts moved on. "How am I going to take care of Zero?" he mumbled to himself, unaware that Duo had heard him. A warm hand to his knee had him jerking his head up in surprise.

"You're welcome to stay with me, Heero, for as long as you need too."

"But..."

"Just wait and see, Heero. Let the doc strap you up, then I'll take you back home to my place and we can discuss your options from there."

"I don't understand, Duo. You don't know me and yet you're opening up your home to me and helping me out. Why?" Heero really didn't understand, he'd always been responsible for only himself and Zero, never having needed assistance before and it didn't make sense to him that Duo would go out of his way to help him.

Duo frowned. "Do I need a reason? Look, Heero. You're injured, your horse is also injured and you need some help here. I like you and I want to help, please, let me."

Heero nodded, his mind too exhausted to try and figure it all out. Further discussion was abandoned as the doctor came back, armed with a syringe and looking dangerous.

Heero paled. He really did hate hospitals.

***

Twenty minutes later, Heero's shoulder was efficiently strapped, his arm immobilized and his mind in a happy daze. Duo clutched a small bottle with half a dozen Voltaren [2] tablets in it and two prescriptions, one for more of the anti inflammatories and the other for Panadeine Forte, [3], a very strong pain killer. Putting the bottle and 'scripts into his pocket he went to assist Heero back out to the car. The journey was just as slow out as it had been in, this time though it was more from Heero's 'happy' state than the pain of his injury.

The Pethadine had worked quickly, infiltrating Heero's blood stream and taking away the pain which was just as well, Duo had thought when he saw the doctor, assisted by the nurse, in action strapping Heero's shoulder and arm. Even Duo winced at times and he wasn't the hurt one! He had to admit though, the doctor had done a good job and Heero couldn't move the arm or shoulder at all.

Managing to get his 'patient' back to the car at last, Duo settled Heero in the passenger seat and buckled him in, then went around and got behind the wheel. Moments later they were back out on the road and heading for Duo's home. 

"That's some good shit the doctor gave me," said Heero as he looked out the window of the car at the darkened landscape. "I can't feel a thing now."

Duo gave a soft chuckle. "It was called Pethidine, Heero. It's good for numbing the pain when you need immediate pain relief to sort out an injury." Duo didn't think it was the right time to go into all the attributes of Pethidine, Heero was obviously experiencing most of them right now, anything he said would probably go in one ear and out the other anyway.

"It sure works fast," Heero replied as he reached for the radio/CD switch. "Want some music?" Without waiting for a reply Heero turned the player on. Instantly the car was flooded with the sounds of a string quartet, not your usual strings though, these were jazzed up, electronic and thrummed through the car.

Duo turned briefly to look at Heero and quirked an eyebrow.

"Modern classical," Heero stated as if it was the complete answer to Duo's unspoken question. "I like to listen to it before a competition, stirs the blood and gets the adrenaline going."

"Ahh," replied Duo. Not the best of answers he knew, but he was a little off balance here. Heero hadn't struck him as the sort to enjoy classical music, or rather 'modern classical' as Heero had termed it but he had to admit, the tune was definitely catching. "What is it called?" he asked above the sudden heavy drum beat.

"Explosive." [4]

That made sense. The way the music was pounding through the speakers of the car it was a wonder they hadn't exploded already mused Duo.

"It's by an all female group called Bond." Heero reached for the glove compartment with his left hand and opened it to remove a CD case and hold it up so Duo could see. "There's some pretty good stuff on here, you can borrow it if you want."

"Thanks, I might take you up on that later," replied Duo. Whether he actually did or not remained to be seen, Duo still wasn't all that sure himself if he wanted to hear more even if this particular track was soul stirring. At that moment his pager began to beep. "Heero, would you mind turning that down for a moment please? My pager is going off."

Heero reached forward and hit the pause button on the CD player and the car went silent except for the beep of Duo's pager. Duo managed to unclip the pager from his pants and brought it up so he could see the small screen on it. "Shit!" Quickly Duo pulled the car over and slipped it into neutral, reaching for his cell 'phone and punching in the numbers displayed on his pager screen. "Sorry, Heero. I won't be long."

"No problem, Duo." Heero sat back in his seat, the warmth of the Pethidine surrounding him with its cloak of warm, fuzzy feelings while listening to Duo's one sided conversation.

"Mrs. Henderson, you paged me?"

There was the sound of a slightly hysterical, high pitched voice on the other end of the 'phone and Heero winced in sympathy with Duo's ear drum.

"I see. No, that's fine; in fact it's quite normal. Oh, okay. Right. Look, I'm on the road at the moment, I'll swing by the surgery and pick up some gear and be with you in roughly thirty minutes. No, it's no problem, that's what I'm here for. See you shortly, Mrs. Henderson, 'bye." The 'phone was closed and Duo gave a sigh and ran his fingers through his bangs before putting the car back into gear and pulling back out on to the road and resuming their journey. "Sorry about that, Heero."

"It's okay. What was the problem if you don't mind me asking?"

"That was Mrs. Henderson. Her prize Siamese cat has gone into labor and she's worried about it. I have to go and make sure that all is okay with the delivery, especially as this is the cat's first litter. Would you mind if I borrowed your car, Heero? Mine's still at Une's place. I have to stop off at home to pick up some supplies so I can drop you back there whilst I go on this call."

"Could I... Would you mind if I came with you, Duo?" Heero asked, a little uncertain.

"Umm, sure, if you really want to."

"Thanks. I'd like that."

***

An hour and a half later, Duo and Heero were sitting in Mrs. Henderson's kitchen sipping hot tea while Minko, the Siamese cat, busied herself washing her three new kittens.

"I can't thank you enough, Doctor Maxwell. I'm sorry to have disturbed your evening, especially as it's a Sunday and all." Mrs. Henderson couldn't stop beaming as she looked from the new additions to the vet and back again.

"It's quite all right, Mrs. Henderson. Glad to be of assistance, although Minko did all the work," replied Duo.

Heero simply sat and watched. The drugs in his system were still making him feel like he was on cloud nine and the miracle of birth he'd just witnessed added to his overall feeling of well being. He'd watched as Duo assisted the small cat, softly coaxing her along and helping her out when necessary. He couldn't believe how gentle Duo could be with his hands and fingers, so careful as he'd cradled the tiny kittens in his hand and removed the membranes before giving them to their mother to inspect and clean up. It was obvious he loved animals, his whole attitude around them showed just how much he really cared for them.

"I'm afraid we really need to be going, Mrs. Henderson. I have an injured horse at the surgery that I need to check on, not to mention Heero here should be resting." Duo stood up and taking Heero's empty cup, placed both of them in the sink.

"Thank you again, Doctor Maxwell. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come out to Minko," said Mrs. Henderson as she escorted the two young men to the door. "Drive carefully."

Duo and Heero exited the house and headed back to Duo's home once again. Pulling in, Duo drove around the back and parked the car. "I'm going to check on Zero," he said as he helped Heero out.

The young rider followed along behind the vet and found his eyes straying to Duo's rear end. It was a very nice rear end too, he had to admit. As Duo walked so his long braid of hair swung like a pendulum, brushing across his buttocks and luring the eye to stare at the sway of the hips and the roundness of his ass. Heero was hypnotized.

Hearing the approach of his beloved master's footsteps, Zero gave a low whinny of greeting and looked out over the stable door with hopeful eyes.

"Well, you seem to be looking a bit happier than earlier," Duo said as he moved closer to hang over the stable door and check that the bandage and gel pad were still in place. Zero wuffled through his nostrils and lipped at Duo's bangs. "Hey! My hair isn't edible," chastised Duo and raised a hand to push the horse's inquisitive muzzle away.

Seeing as he wasn't going to get any food from this human, Zero focused his attention on his master, knowing that Heero usually had a treat of some sort hidden on him. Heero rubbed the animal between the eyes while Zero nibbled on his shirt. "How you doing, boy?"

Zero was more interested in seeing if Heero had food. When nothing was forth coming he gently tugged on the folded up shirt sleeve, Heero's arm being strapped to his chest so rather than have the sleeve flap around, Duo had folded it up and secured it with a safety pin.

"Someone's hungry," chuckled Duo and went into the feed shed, returning a moment later with a couple of carrots and a large haynet filled with sweet smelling hay.

Zero neighed his approval and waited eagerly for his treats.

Duo passed the carrots to Heero. "Here, you give him those while I go inside and tie up the haynet."

Zero munched happily on the carrots whilst Duo slipped inside and tied up the haynet. With the carrots gone the horse lost interest in his master and wandered back into the depths of the stable to investigate the hay. Duo checked the leg, noting that the swelling didn't seem to be getting much worse and the leg felt fairly cool. He paused at the feed bin and smiled when he saw the empty state. It looked as if Zero had licked the interior clean. The water bucket was three quarters full so Duo exited the stable and bolted the door before turning to Heero. "Come on, let's go inside and get something to eat. I don't know about you but I'm starving."

Heero smiled and followed along beside Duo. "How's the leg looking?"

"Pretty good but it's still too early to tell for sure. We're not out of the woods yet."

"Arigato," Heero said softly. "I don't know what I would have done if you weren't there to look after him."

Duo felt his cheeks burning. "You would have been okay, someone would have helped you out."

"I'm glad it was you." Heero brushed his fingers over Duo's cheek then lowered his head and continued to walk, a slightly stunned Duo a little ways behind him.

~ * ~ 

tbc............

[1] Pethidine: The effects of pethidine are generally similar to those of morphine, despite its different structure. It also has local anaesthetic and atropine-like effects. Pethidine is readily absorbed orally, but its bioavailability is only about 50%. In the acute pain setting, pethidine can be administered by intramuscular injection, patient controlled analgesia, and also intraspinally, for example, epidurally after Caesarean section. www.australianprescriber.com/ magazines/vol25no1/pethidine.htm

 

[2] Voltaren: Voltaren and Cataflam are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs used to relieve the inflammation, swelling, stiffness, and joint pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis (the most common form of arthritis), and ankylosing spondylitis (arthritis and stiffness of the spine). Voltaren-XR, the extended-release form of Voltaren, is used only for long-term treatment. Cataflam is also prescribed for immediate relief of pain and menstrual discomfort. http://www.healthsquare.com/newrx/vol1486.htm

[3] Panadeine Forte: Panadeine Forte is used to relieve moderate to severe pain and fever.   
Panadeine Forte contains paracetamol and codeine. Paracetamol and codeine work together to stop the pain messages from getting through to the brain. Paracetamol also acts in the brain to reduce fever. http://www.emedical.com.au/default.asp?pageID=56&itemID=12037&purchaseTypeID=2

[4] Explosive: Great track which can be found on the CD "Classified" by Bond. If you haven't heard it then I recommend you have a listen, it's a really good track.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Duo followed Heero to the house, not quite sure what to make of the gentle touch. His cheek still burned from the brush of those fingers and his mind returned to the words he'd heard Heero softly say earlier. He thought about them for a moment longer, unsure of what to do. Yes, he liked the other man, of that he was certain. But, he'd only just met him and Heero was in pain from his injury, not to mention the concussion and the drugs that the doctor had administered at the hospital. Duo decided that the best thing to do was wait and see what happened. By tomorrow Heero shouldn't be in quite so much pain, any lingering effects of the concussion would have faded and the drug that was responsible for Heero's current 'happy' state should be well and truly out of his system. Yes, it would be better to wait until Heero was back to his normal self, whatever that might be, before making any attempt to get to know the guy better and see if there might be a chance for him. So locked in his thoughts, Duo didn't realize that he had stopped walking and Heero was standing by the door to the house, an amused expression on his face as he looked at Duo.

"You didn't hear a word I just said, did you?"

"Huh? Sorry, Heero. I was... ummm... thinking."

Heero gave a soft chuckle. "All I said was, do you have the key?"

"Oh, yeah," Duo replied sheepishly and fished it out of his pocket to unlock the door. "You hungry?"

"A little."

"I'll make you something light to eat."

"Arigato." Heero settled himself down in the chair by the table that he'd sat in earlier. 

Duo opened the 'fridge and scanned the contents. "Poached eggs on toast okay?" He really needed to do some shopping, the 'fridge was beginning to look a little bare.

"Hai, that will be fine," Heero replied.

Duo fetched the eggs from the 'fridge and retrieved the bread from the bread bin. He began to hum to himself as he set about making their dinner. "If you want something to drink there's orange juice in the 'fridge or tea and coffee in the canisters marked tea and coffee in the pantry, just help yourself."

Heero thought he'd had enough tea for a while. "Orange juice would be nice, thank you."

"Glasses are just in there." Duo nodded towards the overhead cupboard. "Would you mind pouring me one too, please?"

Heero stood up and walked over to the cupboard and removed two glasses. He found the carton of orange juice in the 'fridge and set it on the bench top so as he could open the little spout. Working with only one hand, and his left at that, wasn't easy and it took Heero a few moments to get the spout to open. Slowly pouring the juice he wondered how he would cope once he went back home to his own place. He'd manage somehow, he'd have too; he couldn't sponge off Duo for much longer, the vet had already gone above and beyond the call of duty in Heero's opinion. He managed to finish pouring the juice with only a small amount of spillage and returned the carton to the 'fridge. Wiping up the mess he placed Duo's glass where he could reach it and put his own on the table. "Can I get the cutlery and stuff out?"

"Umm, sure. Cutlery is in there..." Duo nodded to the top drawer, "...and the salt and pepper is in the pantry. You should find place mats and paper napkins in the third drawer."

Heero fetched the items and set the table, moving slowly as he could only use the one arm. He'd just finished when Duo set the plates down in front of them both and took a seat.

"There you go, Heero, wrap your laughing gear around that," he chuckled.

"Laughing gear?"

"Your mouth."

"Aa."

Duo picked up his knife and fork and began to dig in, adding a little salt to the eggs as he pierced their yolks.

Heero shook a light dusting of salt and pepper over his own food and then paused. He looked at the perfectly poached eggs, then to the knife and fork and back to the eggs. Now he was faced with another problem. How to eat? He picked up the knife and went to cut the egg and toast.

The food slid playfully on his plate in time with the knife. Damn. He tried again, pushing a little harder on the knife and aiming his 'cuts' against the second piece of toast, hoping to use it as a block for the piece he was trying to cut. As he pushed, so the second piece of toast, complete with egg shot of the edge of the plate, skidded across the table and stopped when it ran into Duo's plate. "Shit!"

Duo, who had been watching the attempts from the corner of his eye, raised an eyebrow and looked at the 'escapee'. "Lose something, Heero?" he asked as he raised his amused violet eyes to meet with frustrated blue.

"You could say that," replied Heero. "Damn thing won't cooperate," he growled.

Duo snickered and picked up the toast with its egg and placed it back on Heero's plate. "Would you like some help?"

Sighing loudly and knowing he had no other choice but to accept Duo's offer, Heero nodded. "If you don't mind, that would be good."

“Well, I can’t have you starving whilst you're here, now can I?" Duo reached across and pulled Heero's plate towards himself then held out his hand for Heero's cutlery. With utensils armed and ready he paused before cutting. "Any particular way you want it cutting?"

"Pardon?"

"Do you want it cut into squares or would you like 'soldiers'?" Duo couldn't help himself, he'd always had a good sense of humor and now was no exception.

Heero gave him a withering look. "Bite size squares will be fine... thank you."

Duo sniggered and began to cut. Soon the two eggs and slices of toast were cut neatly and the plate handed back. Heero began to eat, stabbing each piece with a little more force than was necessary at first.

They ate in silence, Duo mentally recalling the brush of Heero's fingers against his cheek and how nice it had felt while Heero was trying to figure out how he was going to cope over the next few weeks with only the use of one arm. Dinner was finally finished and Duo collected the dirty plates, washed and dried them all then put the kettle on while Heero watched, frustrated at his own uselessness. 

"Would you like a shower, Heero?"

Looking up at the question, Heero frowned for a moment and then replied. "I'd love one but I don't have a change of clothes. I've only got what I'm wearing and my coveralls in the car."

"That's okay," replied Duo as he gazed up and down Heero's body causing the other man to flush slightly. "You look roughly the same size as me, you can borrow some pajamas for tonight, sweats and a T-shirt for tomorrow if you wish."

"Arigato. I appreciate it."

"No problem. I'll go get them now." Duo left the kitchen, Heero watching him disappear and once more thinking how kind the vet was. 

Duo rummaged around in his closet and found a pair of pajamas he'd not worn yet; tossing them to the bed he continued his search of his clothing, finding a pair of blue sweat pants and black T-shirt. The sweats would be easier for Heero to handle he figured, seeing as how he only had the use of one arm. He wasn't sure if Heero wanted to borrow some boxers or not, he did have a couple of new pairs and Heero could have those if he wanted them. Duo thought it would be best to ask. He went into the spare bed room and turned down the bed. He kept it made up as he never knew when he would have company, not that company turned up very often. So far he'd only had his mother stay once and a friend from college. He dropped the sweats and T-shirt to the small chair and put the pajamas on the bed before returning to the kitchen and his guest.

"I've put the stuff in the spare bed room for you, Heero. Umm... Did you want any boxers at all? I have a couple of new pairs you can have if you want, they're still in the packet, never been worn so you don't have to worry or anything." Duo could feel his own face turning red as he spoke.

"Iie, thank you. I'll be fine, Duo. You have already done more than enough for me," Heero replied, a little uncomfortable at Duo's kindness.

"No problem. Look, follow me and I'll show you the spare room and then you can take your shower." Duo turned and waited for Heero to get up and follow.

Walking behind Duo, Heero was once more mesmerized by the swing of that braid of hair; he wondered what it would feel like and itched to touch it.

"Here you are, Heero. 'Jamas are on the bed and I put the sweats and shirt on the chair. Your towel is still in the bathroom so take your shower whenever you're ready."

"Arigato. I think I'll shower now and then go to bed, it's been a busy day."

"Yeah, it sure has," chuckled Duo. "You go ahead, I'm going to make some cocoa; want a cup?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay. I'll take my shower once you're done. If you need anything just yell." Duo turned and went to leave but Heero's voice stopped him.

"Would you..." Heero cleared his throat and tried again. "Would you mind helping me out of this shirt and my boots before you go, please? I should be able to manage the jodhpurs by myself."

"No worries, Heero." Duo returned to Heero's side and began to unbutton the shirt. He had to take a deep breath and hope to hell that Heero couldn't see the slight tremor of his hands as the shirt opened up to reveal Heero's muscular chest, partially hidden beneath the strapping for his shoulder. The scent of Heero wafted to Duo's nostrils and he greedily drank it in, savoring the aroma as if it were a dish of the finest cuisine. It was with supreme effort that he managed to control his lower body.

"Okay, that's the shirt, now for the boots. I think you had better sit down for them," Duo said as he placed the shirt into the laundry hamper that sat in the corner of the room.

Heero sat and braced himself on the bed, offering his left foot to Duo. Duo took a firm grip on the heel and toe of the boot and began to pull. The trick to removing the long boots was in the pull and twist. Boots like these were designed to fit snug and offer not only protection to the rider but a certain amount of 'feel' for their horse as well. Needless to say they were not the easiest of things to remove. It took a lot of effort combined with some groaning from Heero and a lot of grunting from Duo before the boots began to slide off. Finally they gave up their hold on Heero's calves and Duo set them by the door, noting Heero wriggling his toes in appreciation of the freedom.

"Stubborn little shits, ain't they?" said Duo with a smile.

"Yeah, I usually use a boot jack [1] at home but even then they can be very resistant. I've broken a couple in my time, boot jacks that is; although I have slipped and kicked myself in the shins as well."

"I can imagine," chuckled Duo. "You alright to take off your socks or would you like me to help?"

"I'll do them, thanks. I'm afraid if you get too close to my feet you may pass out." Heero offered him a grin.

"In that case then, you're on your own," sniggered Duo and pinched his nose.

"Hey, they're not that bad!"

"I don't know, Heero. I think I'd better check that the milk hasn't gone sour," Duo teased.

Heero just laughed.

"Take your shower, cocoa will be waiting when you're done." Duo left and went back to the kitchen. Heero picked up the pajamas from the bed and padded through to the bathroom, the smile still on his face.

Once Duo could hear the water running indicating that Heero was in the shower, he slipped back outside to check on Zero and lock up before retiring for the night. The horse gave a soft whinny as he approached and hung over the stable door. Duo made a detour into the feed shed and picked up a couple of carrots. Offering one to the animal, he smiled and rubbed Zero's gray ears as the horse crunched away. "You're one fine horse, Zero," Duo said softly. "Intelligent, nice natured and obviously well looked after. Heero really cares a lot about you."

Zero wuffled in reply and searched for more carrots. He wasn't disappointed.

"He's one special guy too, but I guess I don't have to tell you that, hey boy?" Duo continued to pet the horse.

Zero nudged his arm.

"What? You want more carrots?" Duo teased. "Sheesh, I'm beginning to get the impression you only like me for the carrots, not because I helped you out with your leg or anything. Is that all I am to you? Nothing but a food source?"

A pair of liquid brown eyes gazed at him. Zero had a couple of wrinkle folds of skin above his eyes which gave him a soulful expression and Duo's heart melted.

"I'd love an animal like you, Zero, not to mention your master. Heero's a really lucky guy. Tell me, Zero; what is it that you have that I don't?"

The horse just ignored him, opting to search Duo's hands and pockets for more food.

Duo chuckled. "Maybe I should grow a tail," he said and fished the last carrot from his pocket, offering it to the delighted animal. Duo stood, stroking the muscled neck for a few more minutes and then thought he'd better get back to the house in case Heero needed him. "Night, Zero," he said and reluctantly left the horse after checking the water bucket. He turned out the lights and pulled the barn door closed, setting the alarm system before walking back to the house, Heero and the cocoa.

***

Heero took the pajamas and stepped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He managed to unzip and get the button of the jodhpurs undone with minimal fuss and then pushed and pulled the tight fabric over his buttocks and to his thighs. Sitting down on the toilet, he began to tug at the leg of the pants, working one foot, calf and knee free. Standing up, he placed one hand on the wall to balance with and then stood on the end of the jodhpurs while pulling his leg free. The performance was repeated with the other leg and Heero felt quite pleased with himself that he'd managed to accomplish that simple task unaided. The boxers followed, their removal being much easier, the socks have been disposed of back in the bedroom. Heero turned the shower on and waited for the water to warm up. The doctor had said it was okay for him to get the strapping wet as it was coated in a special substance so that the water would run off and not be absorbed, but he would need to have the strapping replaced every week.

He put a hand under the spray and adjusted the temperature before stepping in and letting the water course over his body, washing away the grime, stress and weariness from his skin and muscles. He hadn't realized just how tired he was. Picking up the soap he began to wash himself, dropping the slippery bar more times than he cared to count. His hair could do with a shampoo but with only one hand and his weary state, Heero decided it could wait. Thinking about his hair brought his mind back to Duo's hair and his body began to respond. He could only imagine what it would be like to run his fingers through those tresses, have them wild and loose around naked bodies as they writhed together. Damn! Thinking about Duo like that caused him to get fully hard. Even though his left hand was not his dominant one, it had no trouble at all in grasping his erection and pumping it. He hoped that Duo had a good supply of hot water!

His mind continued to supply him with visions of Duo as his hand stroked his length. Biting his lip to keep his noise level to a minimum, he brought himself off quickly, hot seed splashing against the tiles to be washed down the drain. Sated for the moment, he guiltily turned the water off and stepped out. The fluffy towel quickly absorbed the water from his body and Heero reached for the pajamas. He pulled the pants up, thankful that they had an elasticized waist, but the top defeated him. He would need to either ask Duo to help him put it on or simply go bare chested. He decided on the latter option. Making sure that he left the bathroom neat and tidy, Heero stepped out, dropped the pajama top back on the bed in his room and headed out to the kitchen to find Duo and the cocoa.

***

Duo was relieved to find that although the water had stopped running, Heero was still in the bathroom. He quickly made the cocoa and was setting the mugs down on the table when Heero stepped into the kitchen. Duo's breath caught and a warmth spread through to his groin as the still slightly damp and very bare chested Heero walked into the kitchen and up to him. Mutely he picked up one of the mugs and handed it to the other man.

"Arigato." Heero took the mug and blew gently on the contents before taking a sip.

"You managed okay?"

"Hai. I couldn't wash my hair though and the pajama top is a little out of my league at the moment, other than that I managed all right."

"I can wash your hair for you if you want," stated Duo and blushed. "I mean, you don't have..."

"Arigato." Heero smiled at the vet. "I'd like that if you don't mind but not now. Maybe tomorrow if that's all right. It's rather dirty from the sweat and all from the helmet."

"I'd be happy to, Heero." Duo gave a warm smile in return. "I'll pick my car up first thing and once we've had breakfast I can wash it then before morning surgery starts."

"Sounds good." Heero took another sip of the hot cocoa before his curiosity got the better of him. "What time does your surgery start?"

"Morning consultations go from nine thirty until twelve. I usually do any operations in the afternoon as well as house calls, then evening consultations are from five until seven. Unless I get a call out I'm usually done by seven fifteen."

"Aa. You get much in the way of business?" Heero realized he was probably prying and that Duo wouldn't appreciate it. "Gomen, I don't mean to pry, Duo. You don't have to answer that."

"It's okay, Heero. We vets are not under the same oath as the doctors, although we don't normally discuss cases with anyone other than the animal's owner or another vet if the need should arise. General practice I can talk to you about and some of the cases, although I won't mention any names."

Feeling a little relieved Heero took another sip of the hot drink. "I'm just curious to know what it's like for you, you know, being a vet and all."

"It has its highs and lows the same as any job I guess, although with veterinary medicine quite often the highs are something special, and the lows can be heart breaking."

"I think I understand."

Duo sighed and ran a hand through his bangs. "It's sad when you have to put an animal to sleep. Not so bad if the animal is old or is in pain and suffering with no hope of a recovery; at least in those cases you know you are giving the animal a release, it's often the kindest thing to do. When you are requested to put an animal to sleep though that's in its prime or young, simply because the owner doesn't want it anymore, they're moving and can't take it with them or it's been abandoned, then that makes me angry. Same as occasionally I'm asked to treat an animal that's a case of neglect for the animal shelter, those creatures can break your heart. You wouldn't believe what some people will do to an animal, sometimes it's out of ignorance or they don't realize the care the creature needs, or they forget about it... whatever their excuse they should be punished to the full extent of the law and forbidden to ever own an animal again in my opinion." Duo paused for a moment, his voice had been growing stronger and slightly louder as his anger showed through.

Heero put his mug down on the table and closed his hand around Duo's arm, squeezing lightly. "I understand exactly what you're saying, Duo. I've seen a few cruelty cases, mainly on the news although not personally but I can imagine how you must feel having to treat and deal with them yourself. I agree with you, some people should never be allowed to have animals." Realizing he was still caressing Duo's arm, Heero flushed and pulled it away, hiding his face behind his bangs.

Duo was warmed by Heero's concern and a little shocked then delighted at the gentle touch to his arm. His anger faded a little and he continued to talk, attempting to ease Heero's obvious embarrassment. "The good times though, they can make up for some of the shit times. When you get an animal brought in that's really sick or injured and you do your best to help it with surgery, drugs and whatever else you can use and the animal recovers and goes on to lead a long life, that's always a good feeling. Same as helping a dog or cat when they're giving birth, that never ceases to amaze me. A completely new life coming into the world, it's awe inspiring."

Heero smiled. He could relate to that feeling now, having watched Duo at work earlier with the Siamese cat, gently helping her to deliver her kittens and the look of contentment on both the cat's face and Duo's when the miracle of birth was complete, stirred a warmth deep inside him.

"Take Zero for example..."

At the sound of his beloved horse's name, Heero looked up.

"He's injured himself and I know I have the means to help him. It's a good feeling to know you are relieving their pain and making them better, even if they don't always appreciate it at the time." Duo gave a wry grin.

"You've been hurt?" Heero asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"It's a dangerous business at times, Heero. Unlike humans an animal can't tell you where it hurts and despite how gentle and careful you are they can and do react in the only way they know how, they don't understand that you're trying to help them, they just think you're going to hurt them which is understandable most of the time as we do have to prod and poke around; so they bite, kick or claw at you. I've had my fair share of attacks, believe me they aren't nice but you can't reprimand the animal for following its instincts. All you can do is grit your teeth and take as many precautions as you can."

"Aa."

"You know what the funniest thing is though, Heero?" Duo began to chuckle.

"No."

"When my patients come to the surgery it's not uncommon to see their owners having to drag them in, but when it's time to leave they're out of the door at a hundred miles an hour."

Heero laughed.

"Doesn't do much for my ego, I can tell you!" Duo drained his mug. "You finished?"

"Hai." Heero passed his mug over.

Duo rinsed them out and set them to drain. He yawned and stretched, his shirt riding up a little. "I think I'll go take my shower and head for bed. Is there anything I can get you, Heero?"

"Iie. I think I'll be going to bed too."

"You can watch some telly if you want, just because I'm going to bed doesn't mean you have to if you'd rather stay up for a bit."

"I'm tired, Duo. Thanks all the same but after today's fiasco all I want to do is sleep."

"Yeah, I can imagine you're feeling a bit sore and bruised. Rest will be good for you." Duo began to lock up the house.

"Thanks, Duo. Not just for helping me out, but for treating Zero and looking after me... I... I really appreciate it."

"It's okay, Heero and I mean that. I like you, you're a nice guy and you look like you could do with a friend. Your horse is special too," Duo said with a wink and headed towards the bathroom.

Heero followed, turning off the light as he exited the kitchen. He stopped at the doorway to the bathroom as Duo began to step inside.

"You're a special person yourself, Duo. Not many people would take a complete stranger into their home and do for them what you've done for me." Heero blushed a little as he spoke but he did mean what he said and hoped that Duo would believe his sincerity.

Duo paused in the bathroom doorway and turned back to face Heero. "You're most welcome, Heero. I don't usually do this sort of thing but... well, when I saw you and your horse competing it was something special, magical even. The rapport you two have is purely heaven to watch and when you fell and Zero was hurt I knew I would help you out all I could. Just something about you two that say's you can be trusted, you needed the help even if you didn't want to ask or expect it. It's my pleasure to have been there and be able to offer that assistance. Now, you go to bed and get some rest. If there is anything you need, just call out. I'll make you breakfast when I get back from picking up my car in the morning." Then Duo was gone, the door shutting quietly and Heero made his way to his room, mind swirling with thoughts.

***

Duo groggily looked at the clock, the luminous red numbers glared back at him. Two thirty am. He groaned and rolled over wondering what the hell had woken him and then he heard it again, a soft cry and whimper.

Heero.

Quickly, Duo tossed back the covers and shot out of the bed, he padded to the door and opened it. The soft cries grew louder the closer he got to Heero's room. He gave a soft knock and paused, calling Heero's name; but Heero didn't answer him, instead there was another cry and so Duo decided to step inside anyway. As he entered the room he could see Heero on the bed, the sheets twisted around him as his body writhed and convulsed, obviously caught in a nightmare. Duo was beside the bed in an instant, his hands going to Heero's shoulders and gently soothing. "Heero? Heero... wake up. You're having a nightmare," he said softly.

Heero moaned, the grass had rushed up to meet him and as he hit so a crushing weight landed on top of him. Zero. The horse thrashed around on top of him, pinning him to the ground and grinding him further into the grass and dirt as the animal fought to regain its footing. "Ahhh..." he cried out as he tried to get out from underneath the animal and failing. He could feel the pain searing through his body as bones were crushed and then there was a gentle voice calling him and he reached eagerly for it. 

As Heero began to surface from his nightmare he became aware of strong arms holding him, hands running soothingly over his back while warm breath grazed the skin of his neck. Awake at last he realized that Duo was holding him, comforting him and talking softly to him as if calming a skittish animal. His breath felt ragged in his raw throat and he managed to get some words out of his mouth. "Duo?"

"Hush, Heero. It's a nightmare, that's all. You're awake now, it can't hurt you," murmured Duo as he continued to gently rock the sweating man and stroke his back, offering what comfort he could.

"God, it was awful. Zero... he fell on me. I was being crushed... I couldn't breathe, couldn't get out..." Heero felt his breath hitching as the horror of the nightmare came flooding back.

"It's okay, Heero. It was only a dream, I've got you, you're safe now."

Heero burrowed deeper into the warmth and comfort of the vet, he didn't care if he was being childish for seeking the contact, all he knew was that he felt safe; and he wanted Duo to hold him for as long as possible.

Duo continued to hold and caress Heero as the man's shaking slowed and eventually stilled. Heero had suffered a traumatic shock to his system and Duo wasn't surprised that he'd had a nightmare. He was glad he'd woken up when he had and had been there to offer comfort. He couldn't help feeling though how nice it felt to have Heero in his arms like this.

Finally Heero pulled away, the dream having left him. "Arigato. Sorry I woke you up."

"Don't worry about it, Heero. Glad I could be here for you. You feeling better now?" Duo released Heero from his embrace and sat back.

"Hai, thanks."

"You ready to go back to sleep now?"

"Yeah. Duo?"

"Yes?"

"This is probably going to sound stupid but... would you stay with me until I fall asleep again?" Heero felt his cheeks flush.

"Of course I will. You lie back and go back to sleep. I'll stay with you."

"Thank you." Heero settled back into the mattress and closed his eyes. Having Duo's presence there soothed him and he felt himself drifting off.

Duo sat and watched as the young man slipped back into slumber and then stood up. He tucked the blankets around Heero's shoulders and brushed a strand of hair away from his face. Unable to resist he leant down and whispered softly. "Sleep well, Heero. I'll look after you if you'll let me," and then he pressed a soft kiss to Heero's cheek before leaving the room and going back to his own bed.

A pair of blue eyes opened and Heero touched the spot on his cheek where Duo had kissed him. He smiled and allowed sleep to claim him once more, this time his dreams were much happier.

tbc....

 

[1] Boot Jack; this is a nifty little invention usually made of wood or steel. It's shaped like a 'Y' and you put the heel of the boot into the top, open part, stand your other foot and weight onto the tail bit then pull against the open bit. The boot should then slide off. It doesn't always work though and you have to be careful that your foot doesn't pull free of the jack and kick you in the other shin!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As Heero awoke so he became aware of three things. Firstly, this wasn't his bed; secondly, his shoulder was hurting like a bitch and lastly, he'd been the recipient of a kiss from his savior. He shifted slightly, trying to ease the pain in his shoulder as his mind tried to sort out the jumble of thoughts currently invading it. The fact that Duo had treated his horse he could understand and accept; the man was after all a vet and had been the vet on duty at the show, he was to all intents and purposes simply doing his job. Why Duo had taken him in as well though, demanded further consideration. 

Having always been taught to believe that you only got where you did by working hard for it and not to trust someone that did something for you for supposedly nothing, Heero was finding it hard to accept that Duo would help him out in such a way. No one did anything for free; there was always a price, payment of some shape, form or description. But somehow Heero had trouble trying to think what Duo could possibly hope to gain by helping him out. It didn't make sense that the man would take him in, run him to the hospital and generally seem concerned about his health and well being when he didn't know him at all; and yet Heero couldn't think of anything Duo could possibly want from him. The vet seemed a very nice, compassionate man... a man that Heero found himself becoming more and more attracted to the longer he spent time in his company. And that led him to recalling the previous evening.

He'd been having a nightmare and obviously cried out at some stage alerting Duo to his predicament. He had to admit that Duo's gentle voice and soothing caresses as he held him had done wonders for chasing away the nightmare. Then there was that kiss...

Heero felt his cheeks flush with the memory of the brief yet sweet brush of Duo's lips against his skin. His hand reached up and fingers touched the spot again, a tingling started in his toes which soon covered his entire body. He still wasn't sure if Duo swung his way or not although the small amount of prying he'd done, coupled with the information Duo had freely given him was certainly pointing in that direction. Deciding that lying in the bed and letting his thoughts run in circles wasn't going to do him any good or solve any of his problems, Heero managed to toss the covers aside and ease himself into a sitting position. His shoulder ached fiercely and idly he wondered where Duo had put the prescriptions and pills the doctor had sent home with them, he could definitely use a half a dozen or so of the pain killers right now.

With a low hiss of pain, he maneuvered himself up to a standing position and noticed the sweat pants and T-shirt on the chair. A small smile crossed his lips as he reached over and snagged the garments. The pajama bottoms were easy to remove, pushing them over his hips that quickly slid down his legs to pool at his ankles where he stepped out of them. The cool morning breeze caressed his naked skin, sending goose bumps over the sleep warmed flesh. He picked up the sweat pants and sitting back on the edge of the bed, managed to wriggle first one foot and then the other into the legs and through the holes at the bottom. He pulled them up to his knees and then stood to tug them the rest of the way. The T-shirt however decided to be awkward. He tried four times before succeeding and even then the garment sat awkwardly on him. With a sigh he left the bedroom after doing his best to try to make the bed up and then conceding defeat.

He stopped at the bathroom first to relieve himself, a task that was much easier with the sweat pants not having any zip or buttons to deal with, something Heero was grateful for. He really didn't want to be calling for Duo's help to zip him up again; it had been embarrassing enough the first time around. Pressing the flush button he turned on the tap and washed his hand then picked up the wash cloth and wiped his face over. Turning off the water he dried his face as best he could and then turned to look at himself in the mirror. His hair was an unruly mess, bangs hanging over his eyes, stiff with sweat. The bruising to the side of his face was starting to come through, the skin turning a bluish black color and Heero winced at the sight. It could have been worse he reminded himself and it wasn't the first time he'd suffered bruising to his features. It would fade over time; at least he hadn't cut himself. The dark shadow on his jaw reminded him that he needed a shave but it would have to wait as he had no shaving equipment with him and he didn't know if Duo used disposable razors or an electric shaver. Having finished his scrutiny of his face, Heero left the bathroom and made his way out to the kitchen.

The house was quiet as he walked along the short hall way and he wondered if Duo was up yet. When he reached the kitchen he found his answer in the form of a note and the bubbling of the coffee pot. Pouring himself a cup of the thick, brown liquid, Heero read the note that Duo had left.

_'Heero,_  
Gone to collect my car from the show grounds. Coffee in the pot, help yourself. I'll make us some breakfast when I get back. Left you the pain killers and anti inflammatories. Won't be long.  
Duo.' 

Heero put the note back on the bench top, a smile tugging at his mouth when he spied the two white capsules and the small brown tablet sitting next to a glass of water. Dutifully he picked up the pills and swallowed them down, wondering how long it would take before the pain killers kicked in. Sipping at his coffee he stared out the kitchen window and gazed at the area of Duo's property he could see through the glass pane. Now that it was daylight he could better appreciate the layout of the vet's home and surrounds. Topping up his coffee, Heero took the mug and stepped outside for a better look around.

His car and horse float were parked where Duo had left them last night. Heero could see the sweep of the driveway as it came down from the road, past the smaller building and house to the rear where it opened into a larger 'parking' area before continuing along the other side of the house and back up to the road. It made sense to Heero to have the driveway set that way, especially as Duo treated horses at his practice, it would make it much easier for the clients to drive their floats in and then straight out again without having to worry about backing the float up and turning around. Even though Heero usually had no trouble reversing his car and horse float, he knew other's didn't find the task quite so easy to do. His eyes strayed to the 'barn' type set up of the stable block. He recalled its appeal from the previous evening and jealousy raised its ugly head again. It was the type of set up he'd always wanted for himself. A stable block, light and airy, filled with horses all at various stages of their showjumping career and himself at the helm, success showing in the numerous ribbons and cups, not to mention the prize money to afford his dream. He shook his head and brought himself from his thoughts. The dream was still a long way off and would remain so if he didn't get himself together and heal, also it would remain a dream if Zero didn't recover.

Zero.

Heero's feet were making their own way across the yard towards the stable block, eager to see his friend and assess his condition this morning. Hopefully he would be in a much better state than his rider. The barn doors were open, admitting the slight breeze. The scent of hay, horse and a slightly antiseptic smell hit his nostrils as Heero walked inside the stable block. 

Hearing the familiar sound of his master's foot steps, Zero left his feed bin and hung his head over the stable door, whickering through his nostrils in delight.

"Hey, Zero," Heero said softly as he approached the animal and set his mug down on the concrete floor so he could pet the horse. His hand rubbed the animal between the eyes, just how Zero liked it. "How are you feeling this morning, my son? Better than I am, I hope."

Zero nudged his master in reply and began to search Heero's clothing for carrots.

"I'm afraid I haven't got any carrots for you, boy," Heero said and began to pull gently on the horse's ears.

Not scenting any carrots on his master, Zero huffed before pulling his head back inside the stable, wandering over to the feed bin and continuing to eat his breakfast.

Heero watched with an amused expression on his face, an expression that quickly changed when he realized that Zero's stable had been cleaned out, his water bucket refilled and the horse had been fed. Guilt swarmed through him as he understood that Duo would have been the one to clean out the stable and done the other chores associated with the keeping of a horse. He bit his lip and hung his head. It wasn't fair that Duo should be doing the dirty work as well as treating the horse, not to mention having helped Heero out as well. Heero mentally chastised himself for not getting up earlier, Zero was his responsibility, not Duo's and he should have been the one out there doing this, Duo had enough on his plate without cleaning up after Zero as well. He made a mental note to thank Duo and make sure that it didn't happen again. Picking up his coffee cup, Heero wandered over to the small feed room and spied the bag of carrots. He didn't think Duo would mind if he took a couple to give to Zero, the horse really was a glutton when it came to carrots, he simply loved them. Now sugar cubes were a completely different story. 

Heero recalled the first time he'd ever given Zero a sugar cube as he made his way back to the stable with a couple of carrots. The horse had sniffed at it then gently taken it into his mouth before spitting it back out. Heero had tried again a few times but each time the result was the same, Zero would spit them back out. Heero came to the conclusion that Zero simply didn't have a sweet tooth; give the horse a carrot though and he would do anything for you. Heero stood at the stable door again and softly called his horse. 

Zero lifted his head out of the feed bin and looked across, not attempting to move unless his master had something for him.

"Whoever said that horses were dumb creatures never met you, Zero," Heero chuckled as he held out the carrot for the horse to see.

"Horses aren't dumb creatures; in fact they're highly intelligent."

Heero nearly jumped out of his skin and turned around to see a smiling Duo looking at him.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," said Duo as he shifted to lean against the stable wall.

"It's okay," replied Heero as he fed Zero the carrot, the horse having decided to risk leaving his feed and see if what his master was offering was in fact a carrot.

"He certainly loves those," smiled Duo as he watched the horse crunch the vegetable.

"He's a greedy bugger when it comes to carrots," replied Heero, but there was affection in his words. "Never give him an apple though."

"Oh, why not?"

"He slobbers the thing everywhere. I had no idea just how much he can salivate when eating an apple. Honestly, the amount of slobber he gets in, on and around his mouth, not to mention on everything else is unbelievable."

Duo laughed. "I can imagine." Duo's eyes watched as the horse finished eating the carrots and gazed with hopeful eyes at his master. "I need to check the leg and change the gel pad, want to give me a hand?"

"Hai." Heero moved to the side to allow Duo to enter the stable and clip the lead rope onto the horse's halter.

"You okay to lead him out and into the crush while I fetch a fresh gel pad and bandage?"

"Hai, I should be okay," replied Heero and took the lead rope from Duo. Zero followed him slowly across the concrete floor to the crush; he was still limping but not as badly as the day before. It gave Heero hope.

Duo returned with his supplies and set them down before starting to remove the bandage.

"He's not limping as badly," said Heero.

"I didn't think he would be. The bandage is giving the tendons and ligaments a lot of support although that doesn't necessarily mean that all is going to plan on the healing side. Nature is a funny thing, Heero. Quite often she will heal things herself; as in this case. What we are doing here is basically giving nature a helping hand by easing the pain and keeping the heat and swelling down as much as possible. Also restricting and supporting the movement will go a long way to help the tissues repair themselves." Duo tossed the bandage aside and carefully removed the gel pad. Skilled fingers worked their way over the lower leg, feeling the swelling and seeking out any new developments that may have occurred.

Heero listened carefully to Duo's words and tried not to get his hopes up too high, but it wasn't easy. He had complete faith in the vet and his abilities though, the soft tenderness that Duo showed when caring for his horse only convinced him further that Duo's heart truly lay in his job. 

He actually cared.

Heero could feel emotion welling up inside him, a familiar lump forming in his throat and he had to blink rapidly several times to clear his misting eyes. Whilst he knew he was good at his own job and Duo was certainly good at his, there was a difference between the two; to Heero his job was just that; a job. Watching Duo at work though it struck him that this wasn't a job to Duo; this was a passion.

"...it's just over there."

"Pardon?" Heero jerked back to the here and now realizing that Duo had been talking to him and he hadn't been listening.

"I asked if you would mind hosing his leg down for me for about fifteen minutes. The hose is just over there," repeated Duo, an amused smile on his face.

"Sure. Sorry about that, I was a million miles away," apologized Heero and went over to where Duo had indicated to fetch the hose.

"So I see," snickered Duo. "I hope they were nice thoughts," he added with a grin.

Heero found himself blushing as he fetched the hose. "Actually they were very nice thoughts," he stated, then muttered under his breath, "How could they be anything else, they involved you."

Duo caught the mutter and a look of shock spread over his face but before he could hide it Heero had returned and was looking right at him. "Umm... Just keep it at a slow rate of flow and run it over the entire cannon bone and fetlock joint, that should help a bit more with the heat and swelling; I'll just go get another dose of pain killers for him." Duo turned and quickly left, his cheeks burning.

_Shit!_ thought Heero as he realized that Duo had heard his words. Now he'd well and truly put his foot in it. He couldn't blame Duo from running off like that, especially when he'd seen the look of shock on that sweet face with his words. _Damn!_ Guess he knew now that Duo didn't swing his way. Sighing softly to himself he began to run the cold water over Zero's leg, the horse relaxing and closing his eyes as if thoroughly enjoying the attention. "I'll have to apologize to him," said Heero to his horse, not that Zero was paying any attention, he was beginning to fall asleep. Heero continued to run the water over the swollen leg waiting for Duo to return but also dreading the vet's reappearance.

Duo disappeared into the small dispensary attached to the barn. Closing the door behind him he let a rush of air escape his lungs, blowing his bangs out of his eyes. "Well, shit!" he said to the dispensary walls. "I'll be dammed, I'm sure he must be gay and if that is correct then it would appear he's interested in me." Duo wasn't in the habit of talking out aloud to himself but this was different; this had taken him by surprise and he needed to hear the sound of his own voice to keep him grounded, to know that his ears were functioning normally and that he hadn't dreamt it. "What now?" he asked himself as he pushed off the door and walked over to the small 'fridge that held his drug supplies. Removing the small bottle of pain killer from inside the 'fridge, he set it down on the bench top and fetched a needle and syringe. Filling the syringe with the required dosage he popped the bottle back into the 'fridge, grabbed an alcohol swab and paused to consider things a little further before venturing back outside where Heero and his horse waited.

"Do I ask him what he meant by those words? Or should I just come right out and ask him if he's gay and interested in me? Fuck!" Duo glared at the syringe in his hand as if it could supply the answers to his questions. "Don't flatter yourself, Maxwell. He's just grateful to you for treating his horse. Best to carry on as if nothing has happened, find out who his usual vet is and ship the horse off once he's able to travel, then I won't have to worry about making an ass of myself," Duo consulted the syringe, "That would be the best option, don't you think?" The syringe stayed silent. Inside Duo though his heart was hoping he was wrong, that Heero was interested in him. Deciding that enough time had elapsed, Duo opened the door and went back out to where Heero was still hosing the horse's leg. He glanced briefly at the man and noticed Heero was looking a little... miserable?

"You okay?" Duo asked. "Your shoulder giving you trouble? I did leave the pain killers and anti inflammatories out for you to take, you have taken them, haven't you?"

Heero looked up as the vet returned and the barrage of questions was fired at him. It would be so easy to blame the shoulder and the drugs for all this but Heero couldn't lie. "I'm okay, the shoulder is a little sore and I have taken the pain killers and anti inflammatories."

"Good," replied Duo and went to the horse's neck to swab and inject the pain killing drug. Once done he dropped the needle into the sharps box and the syringe into the bin. "That should be enough hosing for now, Heero. Thanks for doing that."

"No problem. I feel guilty enough that you cleaned up after Zero and fed him, I should have been up to do it and I apologize that I wasn't. "

"Ah, don't fret over it, I didn't mind. He's a nice horse," replied Duo as he bent to dry the leg off in preparation for the gel pack and bandage.

"Arigato, I appreciate it."

Duo simply grunted and began to wrap the gel pad around the injured leg, following through with the bandage. Checking that it wasn't too tight and satisfied with his work, Duo straightened up. "I put a sachet of the 'bute powder into his breakfast for him which should help a bit more with the swelling. He will need another dose in his evening feed. I'll see how he goes throughout the day in regards to the pain killers, I don't like giving him too much for too long. If he seems to be going along okay I'll reduce the dosage tomorrow."

"Arigato. Would you like me to put him back in the stable now?"

"Yes, please," replied Duo and went to wash his hands whilst Heero returned the horse to his stable.

Once Zero was safely back inside and the door bolted, Heero hung up the lead rope and walked back over to where Duo waited for him by the barn doors. He still needed to apologize to Duo for his slip earlier but was unsure how to broach the subject, so he stewed on it for a while longer.

As they began to walk towards the house so Duo thought it best if he informed Heero of his decision to contact Heero's own vet and have the horse transferred back into the usual vet's care. 

"Heero, if you can give me the contact name and number of your usual vet I will call him and inform him of Zero's condition and the treatment I have been giving him, then once Zero is ready to travel he can go home and your usual vet will be able to continue with the treatment."

Heero stopped dead in his tracks, surprised, Duo also stopped and turned to see what the matter was.

"Heero?" Duo didn't like the look on Heero's face nor the paleness of his skin.

Heero had been right, Duo had been offended by his words and as such no longer wanted to treat his horse or have anything to do with him. "Don't you want to treat Zero anymore?" he blurted out.

"What?"

"Look, Duo. I'm sorry if what I said earlier has offended you, I didn't mean for it to come out that way, the way it sounded. If it made you uncomfortable then I apologize, but please, don't think badly of me or refuse to help Zero because I can't keep my thoughts or feelings to myself. I can't help what I feel, you're a very attractive man and I'm sorry if you are disgusted with me for thinking of you that way." Heero lowered his eyes and hung his head waiting for the mouthful of abuse that was sure to come.

Now it was Duo's turn to be completely floored. "You think I would stop treating your horse because you like me? Is that what you're saying?"

Heero nodded miserably.

"Heero, it has nothing to do with your... attraction to me." Duo began to blush. "Although I must admit I'm flattered that you would even consider me attractive. It's just the way things work in the veterinary world. It's common practice that if another vet treats an animal in an emergency that he hands over the treatment to the animal's usual vet as soon as is practical."

"I don't want another vet treating Zero. I want you to continue to look after him," replied Heero stubbornly. "You..." Heero ran his hand through his bangs. "You seem to genuinely care and Zero likes you, I like you. You don't just treat him like another 'case', you show concern and passion for him."

Duo began to turn an even deeper shade of red. "I'd be happy to continue to treat him for you if you feel that strongly about it, Heero."

"I do."

"Then I will continue with the current course of action." Duo said quietly and then continued to walk back to the house, his mind still reeling from Heero's admission of attraction.

Knowing he still had to straighten this mess out, Heero wrestled with his mind, trying to find words with which to talk to Duo without upsetting or making the vet uncomfortable. Eventually he gave up and followed Duo into the house, sitting down at the table and watching Duo set about making breakfast.

Duo decided to stick with the easy stuff for breakfast; cereal. He knew Heero should be able to manage to eat that without too much trouble, besides his mind was still racing at a hundred miles an hour. Heero found him attractive? Duo knew he shouldn't really become involved with a client, although it wasn't the same situation that a doctor could find himself in, this was his patient's owner and things did work a little different in the veterinary world of medicine than the human one. Still, Duo was a little wary. He'd admitted to Heero that several of the town's female population had been throwing themselves at him but all they were interested in was getting him into bed. Even though Heero was a guy and Duo definitely preferred guys he couldn't help but wonder if Heero was only after the same thing, a quick roll in the hay or maybe the chance to get a little knocked off the bill by bedding the vet.

Duo didn't want a one night stand, he'd never been into the casual sex scene. As he'd already stated to Heero, he wasn't interested in people that simply wanted him for his body or to get into his pants, he wanted someone he could relate to, talk to, share common interests with, only he'd omitted the part that this 'person' would also have to be male. He knew he wouldn't mind fooling around with Heero, discovering the joys of sex with the man but he liked and respected Heero; the more time he spent in the man's company the more he found himself falling for the wild haired man.

Put simply Duo didn't want to fall head over heels in love and jump straight into bed with Heero only to find himself dumped the next day because all Heero wanted was a casual fling. Setting the bowls of cereal on the table, Duo sat down and began to eat his, unsure of what to say to Heero, the air had become thick between them and he honestly didn't know how to clear it.

Heero watched as the braided vet poured the cereal into the bowls then added the milk and sugar and brought them to the table. He stared down at the floating muesli, feeling more miserable that he had in a long time. With a soft sigh he thought he had better do something to ease the tension between them, even if it meant Duo throwing him out of the house and telling him to take his fairy ass as far away from Duo as possible. "Duo?" he began hesitantly.

Looking up from his bowl of cereal, Duo swallowed before replying. "Yes, Heero?"

"I don't think I apologized properly for what I said earlier." Seeing as how Duo was about to interrupt him, Heero put down his spoon and fixed the vet with his intense blue eyes. "Please, let me say what I have to say, hear me out without interruption and once I am done I will listen to what you have to say in return."

"Okay." Duo paused in his eating of his breakfast, setting the spoon back in the bowl and giving Heero his undivided attention. He wasn't sure exactly what Heero intended to say but he could at least extend the courtesy of listening.

Heero cleared his throat and prepared to speak. He decided to just let the words flow rather than try to formulate what to say. "Duo, I can't begin to thank you enough for what you have done for Zero and for me. You've treated my horse and while I expect you to bill me for it and I will pay the bill without question, I just wanted to say that the other things you have done for me, taking me into your home, driving me to the hospital, taking care of me, well, that's something special, that's going above and beyond the call of duty. You didn't have to do that, any of it and yet you did. I am deeply in your debt for that. It takes a special kind of person to care the way you do, it's no wonder you are such a good vet, you have a passion for your job, Duo, not to mention a good heart. Who else would take a complete stranger into their home, care and look after them the way you have done with me?"

Heero paused for a moment and took a quick look at Duo's expression to see how the long haired man was taking this. Duo had a reddish tinge to his cheeks but was still remaining silent, waiting for Heero to tell him he was done.

"I wish to apologize for my words earlier, I'm sorry if they made you uncomfortable but I can't lie to you, Duo. I do find you attractive, not just in the physical sense but also inside, your personality, the love of what you do and the gentle, caring nature you have. I'll not hide the fact that I'm gay, I prefer men to women and despite how I feel in regards to you I will not force myself or my feelings upon you, that would be wrong, not to mention uncalled for. I know that not all people in this world like gay people, how it disgusts them to think about two of the same sex together in a relationship, and now that you know I'm homosexual I will be leaving, that way you won't have to feel uncomfortable around me or think you have to watch your back. I meant what I said though about you continuing to treat Zero for me, I don't want another vet to take over, Zero likes and trusts you and that's good enough for me, I know you will do your best to make him better." Heero finished his little speech and sat back in his chair waiting for Duo to say something.

The silence between them stretched.

Duo's mind was trying to wrap itself around Heero's words, grasping and snatching at them as they whirled around in his head. He was stunned by Heero's blunt admission about his sexuality, guess he didn't need to wonder about that anymore. The kind and flattering words the man had said in regards to his veterinary skills had caused him to blush, he couldn't help the way he was with animals, he just loved them and wanted to help them every chance he got. But it was the admission of Heero's attraction to him that really left him floundering. For once in his life he was lost for words.

"Duo?" Heero was becoming a little concerned at the silence. He'd expected some sort of reaction from the vet, screaming, name calling or at the very least, being told to get out and never show his face again; and yet he couldn't see anything that even remotely resembled disgust in Duo's expression. Dare he hope that the kiss he'd been bestowed the previous evening wasn't just out of sympathy?

Duo ran his hand through his bangs and sighed audibly. "Heero..." he began tentatively. "Firstly let me say that I realize and understand how hard that must have been for you, for you to admit your... attraction as well as your orientation to me must have taken a lot of courage." Duo swallowed and then continued. "I thank you for the kind although not true words about my profession, I guess it's because I love animals so much that my heart is in what I do, I'm lucky I suppose, I love my job most of the time and am fortunate enough to be able to bring some happiness and hope into animals and their owners lives. I'd be happy to continue to treat Zero for you, I like him, he's a lovely animal with a great personality."

"But?" Heero queried.

Raising his eyes, Duo found Heero's gaze and held it with his own. "I will admit that your confession has left me a little stunned, but I'm not disgusted. Heero... Since we are being brutally honest here I'll confess that I am flattered you should find me attractive, flattered and pleased. The reason I haven't hooked up with any of the town's females is because I'm also gay and while I enjoy the company of women, I'm not attracted to them in a sexual or relationship way. I told you before that most of them only want me for my body or to get into my pants and that is never going to happen. I don't want a one night stand, a roll in the hay or casual sex, Heero. I want someone who is interested in me, Duo Maxwell the person not Duo Maxwell the quick fuck."

"Duo," Heero began, unable to keep the shock from his voice. "I would never think of you as a quick fuck. I like you, Duo, and I would like to get to know you better, discover what makes you so unique, what makes you laugh, what foods you like to eat, movies you like to watch... that's if you would let me."

Duo reached across the table and placed his hand over Heero's. "Heero, from the first moment I laid eyes on you when you entered that ring I felt... I don't know, some sort of kinship. I hesitate to say attraction as it felt deeper than that, I don't know, it's really hard to explain. You have this sort of charisma about you and I wouldn't mind getting to know you better either."

They sat and smiled at each other across the table for a moment, Heero enjoying the feel of Duo's hand over his and relief flooding him with the knowledge that Duo was also gay and that he might stand a chance with the intriguing vet. He made up his mind to take it slow, court Duo in the way he deserved. Heero wasn't in it for the sex either, although he would have to be mad not to want to make love to the handsome man and have Duo make love to him; no, sex wasn't the basis here, it would merely be a bonus.

"Shit! Is that the time? I gotta get going, Heero. I have to open up the surgery for the morning consultations in five minutes." Duo jumped up from the table, scraping the chair back loudly as he did so. "Look, I'll be up in the surgery if you need me, feel free to watch the television if you want. There's a stack of videos and DVD's in the cabinet, help yourself. If you need anything just come up the surgery, I'll be there until lunchtime, okay?"

Heero watched the vet as he dashed around, dumping his bowl of hardly touched breakfast on the kitchen sink then disappearing to the bedroom and returning seconds later clutching a white coat. "I'll be fine, Duo," he said as Duo dashed past him and grabbed his keys from the little key hook.

"Okay, I'll see you at lunch," Duo said as he paused by Heero's chair on his way to the front door.

Heero caught Duo's hand as he paused beside his chair. He turned it over and pressed a soft kiss to the back of the hand before releasing it. "Thank you, Duo, for everything, but mainly for giving me a chance."

Duo's eyes closed momentarily and then he shook himself, pulled his hand from Heero's and cupped the other man's cheek. "You're most welcome, Heero," he replied and then he was gone in a whirl of chestnut braid and flapping white coat.

~ * ~ 

tbc..........


	7. Chapter 7

AN: The information on Cat spays is drawn from my own knowledge of the operation but it's been a while since I worked at a vet hospital and I realize that surgical techniques have probably changed since then so I apologize in advance for any inconsistencies. Also for those not aware the word Knackery is one that was widely used a few years ago and is the name used for the slaughter house where horses were sent once they had outlived their usefulness and were processed as cat and dog food. Any questions just e-mail me and I'll be happy to answer them

 

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Chapter 7

With Duo's departure so Heero sat back and thought over the words that had passed between them. He was glad he'd found the courage to admit his orientation and attraction, pleased that his interest was returned. Now he needed to figure out the next step. He wasn't sure what sorts of things Duo enjoyed doing for relaxation which meant his choices for 'courting' Duo were a little limited to say the least. Finishing off his breakfast, Heero carried the bowl to the sink and filled it with hot water. He dumped the remainder of Duo's breakfast into the trash and washed both dishes and spoons thoroughly, setting them on the draining board to dry. He could manage to wash them up one handed but drying them really demanded two hands and Heero wasn't even going to attempt that in case he broke anything.

The coffee pot was still bubbling so Heero made himself another cup and wandered into the lounge room with the intent of checking out Duo's video and DVD collection. At least then he might have an idea of the types of movies Duo liked and they could go on a date to see something at the cinema. It seemed like as good a place as any to start in his understanding of the vet. As he wandered in to the lounge so his eyes fell on the telephone and he realized with a start that he hadn't called his boss. _Shit! Better do that now,_ he thought to himself and glanced at the clock. It was reading five minutes to ten. Heero picked up the receiver and dialed the number of the accountancy firm that he worked for, waiting patiently for the call to connect and be answered. He didn't have to wait long.

"Good morning, Browning, Smith and Donaldson Accountancy. How can I help you?"

"Hi, Freida, it's Heero here."

"Heero? Where the hell are you? Mr. Donaldson is not happy," said Freida.

Heero sighed. "I won't be in today, Freida. I had a fall from my horse at a show yesterday..."

"Oh, shit. Are you all right?"

"I'll be okay. Concussion and a fractured shoulder."

"Damn! That's gotta hurt."

"Yeah, it did."

"So, what's the story then?"

"I've been to the hospital and the doctor strapped me up. My arm will be out of use for at least six weeks."

"Shit, that's tough."

"Hai, but I'll cope."

"Hang on a minute, Heero, will you? I've got Mr. Donaldson on the other internal line."

"Okay." Heero waited while the secretary put him on hold. When he came off hold it wasn't Freida's voice that greeted his ears but his boss's.

"Yuy. What's this Freida is telling me about a fall from that blasted horse of yours? You know we're up to our necks at the moment, you can't afford to be sick or taking day's off."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Donaldson. I had a fall at a show yesterday and I've fractured my right shoulder and suffered concussion. The doctor at the hospital has strapped me up and the arm will be out of action for at least six weeks."

"Dammit, Heero. We need you in the office. Why the hell you insist on pursuing this stupid past time is beyond me. Horses are no good unless they're a racehorse that brings in money or they're stuffed in a can. I can't afford for you to be off now, we have a stack of work from a new client as well as the usual clients and it's going to get worse with the end of the financial year coming up."

Heero gritted his teeth. "I know, Mr. Donaldson, Believe me, I didn't want this to happen anymore than what you did. I can still work one handed, although I might be a little slower than usual."

"Well, at least that's something I suppose. Make sure you're back in the office for work tomorrow at eight thirty sharp."

"Yes, Mr. Donaldson."

"And take my advice, Yuy. Get rid of that animal; sell it to the knackery or something."

Before Heero had a chance to reply the connection was cut. Angrily he replaced the receiver and stared at the walls of the lounge. How dare his boss suggest he get rid of Zero! There was no way in the world that Heero would ever part with his horse, it would be like cutting off his right arm. Actually, cutting off his arm would probably be less painful. Heero had had Zero for far too long and shared too much with the horse to ever consider parting with him. He'd had offers made for the animal; and abruptly turned them down. It wasn't about money, Zero was more than a horse to him, he was Heero's friend and you didn't sell your best friend.

The anger began to fade a little though as Heero's thoughts returned to Zero. He'd bought the colt as a weanling from a friend he'd made when in accountancy school. When the mare had foaled, Heero had been asked to come and have a look at the new arrival and give his opinion. At that stage Heero was riding competitively but on other people's horses, he'd never found his ideal horse... that was until he went to see the new colt.

The mare was out in the pasture, the foal gamboling around her without a care in the world. Even at two day's old, Heero could see the independent streak the foal had, defying its mother's anxious whinnies and sauntering off by himself to explore his surroundings, especially the humans that had come to visit. The colt had approached them with a wariness, but he was not afraid. He'd paused before them and Heero had wondered just who was checking out who. Zero had been almost black with a large kind eye and Heero's eyes had roved over the small form, taking in the conformation and noting the sloping shoulders, short, compact back, low set hocks and length of gaskin muscle. Perfect for a showjumper. When asked his opinion he'd been open and honest, his friend having hoped for a horse suitable for dressage and Heero had bluntly told him that this foal, while proportioned well enough for the sport would not achieve the heights the person wanted. But as a showjumper; he would be ideal.

The colt's mother was a retired dressage horse, nicely put together but lacking the 'polish' one needed in such an animal to make it to the top. The sire had been a sixteen hand warmblood stallion, noted for his versatility both on the flat and over fences. Heero made sure to secure the first refusal on the colt should his friend heed his advice and wish to sell. Six months later when the colt had been weaned, he belonged to Heero. The name Zero came about in two ways. Firstly, because there had been three of them attached to the price tag and secondly, because the horse for some reason was a loner, he didn't seem to want the company of other equines.

All that had happened six and a half years ago.

Heero's mind cleared and he returned to the present. No, there was no way he would ever part with Zero. He walked over to the cabinet that he assumed contained Duo's movie collection and opened the door to it. His eyes were assaulted by the many and varying titles that leapt out at him. The range was extremely diverse and Heero thumbed through the cases, reading the various titles. They ranged from horror to drama, action and adventure to romance, comedy to the classics. It looked like Duo was a movie buff and enjoyed the entire spectrum. He couldn't help but notice that Duo also had a large selection of science fiction. If Heero recalled correctly, there was a new science fiction movie due to be released in a couple of days, he wondered if Duo would be interested in seeing it with him. He made a mental note to ask when Duo came back for lunch.

***

Duo quickly unlocked the back door to the surgery and slipped inside, flicking on the light switches as he headed for the small consultation room. Checking that everything was in order, he went through to the reception and waiting room area. Flipping open the appointments book, he scanned the page to see if he had anything booked in for today. He had a cat spay to do in the afternoon but that was all. He didn't normally take appointments for his consultations, rather it was a turn up and wait basis and would remain so until the practice built a big enough clientele to warrant the necessity for pre booked appointments. Shrugging into the white coat, Duo checked his appearance in the small mirror, smoothed his bangs and grabbed his stethoscope. With the stethoscope around his neck he went to the front door and unlocked it, turning the small sign from 'closed' to 'open' and then returned behind the reception desk to await any morning surgery clients.

While he waited he turned on the small computer he used to keep all the records of his patients on as well as his accounts and general information relating to the practice. With a sigh he checked over his 'books'. Duo, while he might be a brilliant vet, was hopeless at keeping his book work correctly. He used an accounting program that was supposed to be simple and easy to follow, but to Duo, most of it was like reading a foreign language. 

Scanning down the list of entries he had there, he felt even more irritated. He'd done what the program had said, entered all his purchases for the practice into the correct sections and filed the receipts away in a folder which was kept in a filing cabinet. He'd put down all the incoming cash, check, money order and the like payments, as well as the outgoing and according to the program it was just a simple case of hitting the right button and the program would give him a complete summary of his business' cash flow.

Sounded simple enough.

Then why the hell then didn't it work for him?

Fortunately for Duo he was able to leave the hellish machine as a client entered the surgery.

***

The forceps glinted in the light as Duo removed the offending piece of glass from where it was deeply embedded in the dog's paw. "There you go, Rufus. All gone now so you should feel much better." Duo reached for the betadine solution and swabbed over the area. "I'll just give him a shot of penicillin and then get you a course of tablets for him, Miss Rolton."

"Thank you, Doctor Maxwell," the pretty brunette replied and ruffled the dog's head affectionately. "I was so worried that it would need surgery to get it out. I did try but it was too deep for me to remove."

"No problem," replied Duo as he slipped the needle into the dog's flesh and injected the drug. He also gave the dog an affectionate rub to his ears; and got a tongue licking for his efforts. "Hey! That's enough, Rufus," Duo laughed. "I did take a shower already!"

The dog just looked at him with liquid brown eyes, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. He was a lovely specimen of the Irish setter breed.

"I think he likes you, Doctor Maxwell," smiled Miss Rolton.

"At least he doesn't bear a grudge against me for digging away in his pad like that." Rufus was one of Duo's favorite patients. Regardless of what treatment he required the dog never bore any malice and never once attempted to bite or even growl at Duo, even when some of the treatment was unpleasant. The large dog simply gave a sigh and accepted whatever it was that Duo needed to do to him with a quiet dignity. Duo slipped several white pills into a small yellow envelope and wrote the instructions on the front before turning back to the dog's owner.

"Give him one tablet a day for seven days starting tomorrow. The penicillin injection I've given him will kick start his immune system and give the tablets time to get into his blood stream. If you have any problems or any concerns, if the paw begins to look infected then call me or bring him straight back."

"Thanks, Doctor Maxwell."

"You're welcome. Now, Rufus, keep off the broken glass in future." Duo gave the dog another pat and received a lick in return.

Duo opened the door to the consulting room and motioned for the woman to lead the dog out, following behind and heading to the reception desk. He dropped the dog's folder to the desk and quickly typed in the details of the consult into the computer. "That will be seventy dollars, thanks."

Miss Rolton fished in her bag and brought out her purse to pay whilst Duo printed out a receipt and signed it. Exchanging the the slip of paper for cash, he dropped the notes into his small cash box and locked it. "Take it easy," he said as the woman and her dog disappeared out of the surgery door. Looking up he noted his next client waiting patiently in the small room. "Would you like to come through this way, please?"

The young boy stood up and followed Duo through to the consulting room.

"What can I do for you, young man?" Duo asked as he closed the door behind them.

The youngster put a guinea pig down on the consulting table. "It's Rocket, his toe nails need clipping and I can't do them myself."

"Okay, I'm sure we can do that for you," Duo fetched his clippers from the table and picked up the little animal.

***

As Duo closed the door behind his last client, he looked up at the clock, noting the time. It was five to twelve. He doubted he would have any further clients and so turned the little sign around to read closed and locked the door. He walked back into the consulting room and sprayed the small table down with an antiseptic solution, wiping it clean and tossing the cloth into the small sink. Picking up the broom, he quickly swept the floor and then placed his stethoscope on the side bench before removing his white coat and hanging it on the back of the door. He'd be back up after lunch anyway as he had the cat spay to do, so he might as well leave the coat here.

Walking down the short hall he stopped at the kennels to check on the cat. She was a large, orange tabby and was currently reclining at the back of the small kennel. "I'll be back soon, Marmalade. Need to get some lunch," he said to the cat before leaving the kennel and heading once more to the back door of the surgery. 

Locking up, his stomach rumbled, reminding him of his skipped breakfast and that brought him to the next train of thought. 

Heero.

He warmed as the memory of their morning discussion came back to him and he smiled. It would be interesting to see what happened between them now, where this attraction went seeing as how they had both admitted to their feelings of liking the other person. Somehow he could sense that Heero was different, not because of anything the man had said, but more by his actions. He wasn't the flighty type, more the deep and brooding sort, Duo mused. He was serious and yet had an edge of humor as well. From what Duo had observed, mainly in the guy's manner around his horse, he appeared to be the type that took things seriously, didn't jump in headlong without first giving the matter, whatever it was, serious consideration first. That appealed to Duo; it showed that the man had respect as well as a sense of responsibility. Yes, it would be interesting to see just how this relationship would play out.

Stepping in through the front door, Duo called out, he didn't want to startle his guest. "Heero?"

"In here," came the reply.

Duo dropped the keys to the small table in the hall and walked into the lounge room. Heero sat in one of the lounge chairs watching a DVD, Duo recognized it as being a part drama part science fiction film, "The Core" [1] "Enjoying the movie?"

"Actually, it's not bad. I didn't get to see it in the cinema. Special effects are good," replied Heero as he hit the pause button and turned in his seat to study the long haired vet. "How was your morning?"

"Not bad, I had eight consultations all up," replied Duo. "What would you like for lunch?"

Heero thought about saying 'you' and then changed his mind. Duo really did look delicious in tight, black slacks and a cream, button down shirt. "Anything, I'm not a picky eater, but, please, let me help."

"Sure." Duo did a mental scan of what he had in the 'fridge as he still hadn't shopped for any groceries. "Would cold meat and salad be okay?"

"That sounds good." Heero stood up and followed Duo out to the kitchen. Moments later Heero was rinsing salad vegetables then passing them to Duo who chopped them up and put the mix into a large bowl. Once the salad was ready, Duo set it on the table and added a plate of sliced up ham. He fetched another two plates and cutlery, placing one set for himself and the other for Heero. Balsamic dressing found its way to the table along with salt and pepper and Heero added two glasses of soda to complete the lunch. They took their seats and Duo offered the bowl of salad to Heero.

As they ate so Heero questioned Duo about his morning's work, laughing at the 'washing' Rufus had given the vet. "What do you have booked for the rest of the day?"

"I've got a cat spay this afternoon and then evening consults, if anyone turns up."

"Don't you have appointments?"

"No. The practice is still in its fledgling stages so I haven't bothered with appointments," explained Duo. "Once I get a good reputation and business builds up, then I will most likely change over to the appointment system. Besides, I'd really need a receptionist come book keeper who could also be an assistant to operate successfully in that way and at the moment the practice isn't established enough to be able to afford to employ someone. So for now, I'm it, the complete package. Duo Maxwell, vet, book keeper, receptionist and vet nurse extraordinaire." Duo grinned at Heero. "I don't mind though."

"Sounds like a hell of a lot of work to me for one person," replied Heero.

"It's not quite as bad as it sounds. Anyway, enough about me. What about you, Heero? You know quite a bit about me but I hardly know anything about you."

Heero gave him a wry smile. "What would you like to know?"

"Well, anything I guess. I know you said you worked as an accountant and that you're renting a place in the next locality. What else do you do besides ride and work?"

At the mention of his job, Heero felt a shiver pass through his body but he shoved it aside. "I like to go to the movies from time to time and occasionally I enjoy dining out, although I haven't really been anywhere lately, I've been too busy preparing Zero for the 'circuit',[2] besides, I hate dining alone."

"Well, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm rather a movie buff myself," chuckled Duo. "I also like to dine out from time to time but with my irregular working hours, it's not very often that I get the chance to." Duo sat back and wiped his mouth on his napkin. "If that was lunch, then I've had it," he snickered and stood up to take his plate to the sink.

Heero shook his head in amusement and picked up his own plate. "Duo?"

"Yes?"

"Would you mind if I came up to the surgery with you this afternoon? I'd really like to see what you do and to be honest, I'm bored shitless sitting here by myself."

Duo gave the dark haired man a smile. "Of course you can, Heero. Only..."

"Hai?" Heero questioned.

"You're not squeamish are you? I mean, you're not likely to pass out with the sight of blood and internal organs and other unmentionable bits? Once I start to operate, if you faint I'll have to leave you on the floor until I'm finished as I can't leave my patient."

"No, I'm not in the least affected by blood or gore so I won't faint."

"Then by all means you're welcome to come and watch. I'll get these dishes done and then we can head back up."

Feeling a bit happier, Heero decided to take a risk and leaned in close to Duo. He took the long haired vet by surprise when he pressed a chaste kiss to Duo's cheek. "Arigato."

Duo's eyes warmed once they'd gotten over the shock. "No problem," he murmured softly and then returned to the dishes.

Feeling a little flushed, Heero began to clear the table and put the things away.

***

Duo carefully removed the surgical instruments from the autoclave and set them on a tray, covering them with a green surgical cloth. On the operating table, Marmalade lay stretched out on her side, sleeping peacefully under the influence of the anesthetic. Satisfied that the had all the necessary equipment, Duo carried the tray over to the small, wheeled stand and set it on top. He checked the cat's anesthetized state before fetching the small electric clippers.

Heero watched with fascination. He'd never seen anything surgical before and his interest was piqued. His eyes tracked Duo's every movement as the vet carefully arranged Marmalade onto her back and secured her there with soft ties to her legs, completely exposing her underbelly. Plugging the clippers in, Duo proceeded to clip away a small patch of hair from the cat's abdomen and then swab the area with betadine. "What's that stuff?" asked Heero.

"Betadine solution. It's a very strong antiseptic," replied Duo as he picked up a scalpel. "If you're feeling a little green by any of this, Heero, now is the time to bail out," stated the vet as his fingers probed the skin of the cat's belly, locating the place where he needed to make his incision.

"I'm good," came Heero's reply. He really wasn't bothered by the sight of blood at all; his curiosity would have been more than enough to quell any queasy feelings he may have had anyway.

"Okay." Duo pressed the scalpel to the cat's abdomen and made a short, neat incision, the skin and muscle layers parting easily. Setting the scalpel aside, he reached for the forceps and parting the open wound, slid them inside to locate the cat's uterus.

"What are you doing now?" asked Heero, hoping that Duo didn't mind his questions.

"Now I have to locate the uterus, lift it out and remove it," replied Duo as he bent over his task, peering into the abdomen and searching through the coils of intestines and other numerous bits of innards.

"Rather you than me. I wouldn't have a clue what I was looking for. I'd probably remove something vital like the animal's stomach." Heero's tone was serious but held a light tone. 

Duo snickered. "That's what I spent years at University for, learning the anatomy of all the different animals," he replied. "Actually it's not all that hard. Ah, there you are." Duo lifted a slender, pink 'tube' like piece of tissue from the animal's gut.

"Looks like a bit of intestine to me."

"When you look closely at it, Heero, you can see a difference. Usually it's easiest to locate the horns of the uterus first and then you know you have the right bit." Duo proceeded to snip off the organ and then stitch up the small wound. "Now for the other one."

"Huh? You mean there's more than one?"

"Yes, Heero. A cat has two. That's why they can conceive kittens all born at the same time but by different fathers, as well as being able to have more than one kitten per litter."

"Well shit!"

Duo laughed and quickly located the second horn of the uterus, removing and stitching it neatly. "There, now all I have to do is stitch her up." Duo reached for some penicillin powder and gave the cat's innards a light dusting before checking that all was in place. He picked up a needle, forceps and some surgical silk then bent close to the abdomen, pulling the layers of muscle and abdominal wall together and beginning to stitch. "This is the boring and tedious part," he informed Heero.

Heero didn't reply, he was too busy poking at the bits in the kidney dish that Duo had removed from the cat. "Interesting."

Duo decided to relieve the boredom of his stitching by asking Heero some questions. "Have you rung your work yet, Heero."

That brought the young rider back to earth with a thud. "Hai, I did."

"And?" Duo prompted as he tied off the stitch and prepared to insert the next one.

"Let's just say my boss was not happy. I have to return to work tomorrow."

"You going to be okay to go back to work, you have had concussion you know, not to mention the shoulder?"

"I don't have much of a choice. The boss was pretty annoyed and we are very busy at the moment." There was an undercurrent in Heero's tone as he spoke and Duo picked up on it.

"Sounds like your boss isn't a very compassionate person."

"He disapproves of my riding and competing."

"Excuse me for saying so, but isn't what you do in your own time none of his business?"

"Technically you're correct; but when it interferes with my ability to work, he thinks it is his place to intervene. He told me to send Zero to the knackery."

Duo looked up sharply. "Ow! Fuck!" he cursed as he stuck himself with the needle.

"You all right?" Heero asked in concern as Duo swore. He immediately went to the vet's side and took his hand, inspecting the injured digit.

Duo couldn't keep the smile off his face with Heero's tender concern. "It's okay, I'll live, it's not the first time I've got myself with the needle," he replied and then took his hand back to continue his stitching. "You kinda shocked me then, Heero. He really said to send Zero to the knackers?" 

"Hai, he did."

"What a bastard! I'd like to have a word or two with him, or better still, pay him a visit with my scalpel. Fancy even suggesting that such a magnificent animal be reduced to a fate like that, he must be a real prick." 

Heero couldn't help but chuckle at the strength of Duo's words and the vehemence with which he spoke them. "I have no intention of parting with Zero."

"I should hope not, Heero. You do and I'll be coming after you with my scalpel and I promise you, you'd be singing soprano for longer than a week!"

"I couldn't part with him, Duo. He means too much to me."

"I kinda gathered that. So, how long have you had him for?" Duo finished the last stitch and dropped the instruments into the tray and swabbed the area again.

"Six and a half years. I bought him as a weanling from a friend."

"Ahh. I take it you broke him in and educated him yourself?" Duo gave the sleeping cat an antibiotic injection before lifting her up and settling her on a blanket on the floor to recover.

Heero proceeded to tell Duo all about his meeting with Zero, the purchase of the horse and the ensuing years where he'd won the animal's trust and begun the task of breaking him in and educating him in the ways of showjumping. As Heero spoke so Duo washed his surgical instruments and placed them in the autoclave for sterilizing then scrubbed down the small table, generally cleaning up. The cat was slowly starting to come around and lifted her head. 

"Well, it sounds to me like you certainly have the horse's respect and trust, Heero. I could see there is a distinct rapport between you two when you first entered the ring. I know they say that a good rider is evident when you look at the combination and it's hard to see where the rider finishes and the horse begins. That was one of the things I noticed about you and Zero. You combine together as if you're one entity."

Hero blushed at the kind words.

"No, you don't, missy," said Duo to the cat that was trying to stand up on wobbly legs. The vet was quickly kneeling by the animal and checking her vitals.

"So that's why you put her on the floor," said Heero. "So she won't hurt herself as she comes out of the anesthetic and tries to move around."

"You're a fast learner, Heero." Duo gave the man a smile. "She's doing fine so I can pop her back in the kennels now," stated Duo and picked the cat up.

Heero followed the vet to the kennels and watched as Duo gently placed Marmalade into a warmed kennel.

"I'll check back on her later. Now I think we should go and see how Zero is faring. By the way, Heero, just how did he get the name Zero?"

"It came about because there were three of them in his price tag, plus he's a bit of a loner."

Duo laughed. "Fair enough. I've heard some funny reasons behind names for different animals during my time as a vet, but I think that one has to be the best."

Chuckling himself, Heero walked beside Duo past the house and down to the stables to see how his horse was doing. As they walked so Heero noticed Duo looking at his car. "What are you thinking, Duo?"

Turning to meet the gaze of the blue eyed man, Duo paused. "If you're going back to work tomorrow, Heero, how do you plan on getting there?"

"I was going to drive... Oh."

"Yeah. Your car is a manual, Heero. How are you going to change gears and steer with only one arm?"

Heero hadn't thought about that. "Shit!"

"Look, my car is an automatic, you should be able to drive that okay. Why don't you borrow my car until your shoulder is healed and out of the strapping, I can use yours in the meantime."

Heero didn't know what to say. Did the generosity of the vet know no bounds? "Duo... I..."

"Heero, it's fine. As long as I have wheels to be able to get to my call outs and do my running around it doesn't matter."

"Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't," came the reply. 

"Then I am again in your debt," Heero bowed slightly. A finger under his chin pushed his face up and he found himself looking into amused amethyst.

"Heero, it's my pleasure. And so is this." Duo leaned forward and brushed his lips lightly over Heero's. "Now, let's go check on your horse."

Heero blinked, the brush of the lips had left him floundering. He realized with a start that Duo was walking towards the stables once again. With his lips still tingling from the brief touch he shook himself out of his stupor and hastened to catch up with the long haired beauty.

~ * ~ 

tbc.....

 

[1] The Core; Interesting movie about what can happen if the earth stops spinning on its axis due to a problem with the inner core.

[2] Circuit; Heero is referring to what is known as the Showjumping circuit, a series of shows held in different locations through the showjumping season in which riders compete. Usually success at the bigger shows on the circuit leads to selection for the World Cup and Olympic Games.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Zero was looking over his stable door as they entered and immediately wuffled in delight when he spotted his master and the other kind man.

"He's certainly looking a lot brighter," stated Duo as he approached the horse.

"I think he likes it here," replied Heero.

Zero did his usual trick of searching their pockets for carrots, nudging gently as he sniffed them over. When he didn't scent anything remotely carrot like, he shoved his muzzle against Duo's chest, pushing the vet backwards and towards the small feed shed.

"I think he's trying to tell you something," snickered Heero.

"No kidding! Geeze, I don't know," scolded Duo and fixed the horse with a stern eye. "If it isn't the females trying to get into my pants, it's the horse trying to get into my pockets. The girls all want me for my body and the horse wants me for my carrots! I don't know what the hell it was I did wrong but someone up there seems dead set on punishing me." Duo pouted as he finished his little speech.

Heero couldn't help but laugh. Zero, on the other hand, didn't see anything funny in the situation, he wanted carrots and he knew that the humans were the ones to supply them; so why wasn't he getting any? He nudged Duo again, a little harder this time.

"Okay, okay. I surrender," said Duo as he held his hands up. "I'll get you some carrots. Shit, at this rate I'm gonna have to add an extra twenty bucks to the bill just for the carrots," he muttered, but his tone was light. He moved across the stable complex to the feed shed and disappeared inside to get the requested carrots.

Heero moved in closer and patted the horse's neck. "Feeling better, Zero?" Heero looked over the stable door but couldn't see much, the bandage obscuring his view of Zero's injured leg. The horse suddenly let go with a loud neigh, almost deafening Heero with the volume. "Fuck! Watch my hearing, Zero!" Heero all but yelled.

Zero didn't take any notice of his master though, he'd seen Duo coming back out of the feed shed and smelt the carrots. He nodded his head up and down over the stable door, deep wuffling noises coming from his nostrils as Duo came closer.

"Better watch out, Heero. I think Zero is beginning to switch his loyalties," Duo chuckled.

"He's only interested in the carrots, besides..." Heero moved a little closer to Duo and cautiously put his arm around Duo's waist as the braided vet fed the greedy horse the carrots. "If he wants you, he's going to have to compete with me for your affections."

"Oh, I think there's enough of me to go around," Duo said softly as he turned to face Heero, his eyes tender as they locked with the deep blue of the other man. "As long as you're willing to share."

"As long as I only have to share you with Zero then I think I can handle that," murmured Heero as his eyes traveled from Duo's eyes to his lips and back again, silently asking permission. The soft sigh that escaped Duo's lips granted him the request and slowly Heero closed the distance between their mouths. 

The kiss was sweet and tender, a gentle meeting of mouths that moved softly against each other. Duo tilted his head slightly and parted his lips, pushing his tongue forward to run along Heero's bottom lip. Heero's mouth opened and the tongue slid in, wandering around inside Heero's mouth and caressing the inner heat. Heero's tongue greeted its counterpart and they brushed lazily against each other, entwining and dancing slowly. It was much better than the brief brush of lips they'd shared earlier.

Heero's body began to respond, a warm flush spread over him before lodging in his groin. He moaned softly into Duo's mouth and caught the reciprocating one with his own. Somewhere along the line, Duo's arms had wound around his shoulders, holding him gently and mindful of his fracture. Just as the kiss was deepening further, Heero felt Duo shift abruptly in his arm and their mouths parted. "I'm sorry..." Heero began to apologize, thinking he'd overstepped the mark and the last thing he wanted was to lose this man before he'd even gotten to know him; but his apology was cut off.

"No, Heero. You have nothing to apologize for. I wanted that kiss just as much as you did. However..." Duo turned to look into the face of Zero who was innocently watching over his stable door. "I think someone here is jealous. Isn't that right, Zero?"

The horse turned his head towards Duo and gave a low whinny; innocent eyes asking for more carrots.

"I think you're going to need to learn some manners, Zero. It's not polite to nudge me in the side when I'm in the middle of a wonderful kiss with your master."

"Zero nudged you?" asked Heero. "So that's why you suddenly moved."

"Yeah," Duo replied as he rubbed the horse affectionately between the eyes. "I think he was jealous that you were getting all the attention."

"Looks like I will have to have a word with him about interrupting," said Heero as he gave the horse a stern look. Zero didn't take any notice though; he was receiving attention from this other nice man, the one who seemed to have an endless supply of carrots.

Duo looked at his watch. "I'll need to start getting ready for evening surgery shortly, Heero. When are you planning on going back to your place? Not that I'm trying to get rid of you or anything, it's just that if we are going to be swapping cars I'll need to transfer all my drugs and equipment from the boot of my car to yours."

"Aa. I have to return to work tomorrow so I guess I really should go home tonight."

"Are you sure you will be able to manage okay on your own?" Duo asked as they left the stable block together, heading for the cars.

"I should be fine, Duo. I haven't got Zero to look after so that only leaves myself. I can manage to cook myself something to eat and shower okay." Heero's brow furrowed for a moment. "I think that I'll have to skip wearing a tie to work though."

Duo laughed. "At least you will be returning to work so they should be grateful for that much. The doctor did say you were supposed to rest for another couple of days before going back."

"I know." Heero stood beside Duo as the vet unlocked the boot of his car and his eyes widened with the amount of equipment he saw inside, all neatly arranged. "I'll go get my keys and give you a hand to transfer the stuff over."

"Thanks, Heero."

Heero went back up to the house to fetch the keys whilst Duo began to carry some of the boxes over to the other car.

***

Evening surgery was almost finished, Duo gave a soft sigh as he walked back into the waiting room to greet Marmalade's owner and hand over the ginger cat who had recovered pretty well from her operation. Giving the owner the instructions to follow for after surgery care, Duo took the money and signed the receipt. Closing the door and locking it behind Mrs. Charmers, he flipped the little sign around to closed and walked back into the reception area. 

"Can I come in?"

Duo looked up to see Heero standing in the doorway. "Of course you can, Heero."

The dark haired rider moved into the room and looked around. "Finished for the evening?"

"Almost. I just have to put all the evening's clients into the computer data base, sweep the floors, tidy up the waiting room, clean down the table in the consult room and then I should be finished."

"Can I help with anything?"

"I'm not sure what you can do, Heero."

"Let me put all the information into the computer while you do the other things, I only need one hand for that." Heero moved closer to stand directly behind the vet.

Duo could feel the heat of Heero's body behind him and had to drag his mind back to the tasks at hand. "Well, if you're sure."

"I'd like to help." Heero's breath brushed over the back of Duo's neck causing the young vet to shiver.

"Okay then. I'll show you what to do and leave you to it." Duo quickly showed Heero the way his clients files were set up on the data base and how he entered everything in. "I keep all my records on the computer but I also retain the paper work. You never know when the damn thing is going to crash so I've become a little paranoid about having a paper filing system as well."

"No problem." Heero's eyes scanned what Duo had done. "I can do that for you, it seems simple enough."

Duo vacated the chair, Heero took his place and began to work. The vet waited for a moment to make sure that Heero was okay with the system and seeing as the young rider was obviously just as much at home with the key board as he was on a horse, Duo left him to it and went to finish off the other jobs.

Fifteen minutes later they had both finished and Duo was hanging up his white coat. "Hungry?"

"Starving," came Heero's reply.

"I'm not sure what I've got left in the 'fridge or pantry so it might be a light meal. I haven't had a chance to do any grocery shopping yet."

"Duo?"

"Yes, Heero?" Duo replied as he locked up the small surgery and pocketed the key.

"Would you allow me to take you out to dinner tonight? Sort of a thank you for having me to stay and the running around you have done for me?"

"Heero, I told you, I don't need any thanks." Seeing the disappointment registering on Heero's face, Duo quickly added. "But if you want to take me out to dinner as in a date, then I'd love to go." He offered Heero a warm smile.

"Arigato. I would like that very much. Is there anywhere in particular you'd like to eat?"

"There's a pretty good Chinese restaurant in the village if you want to try it. It's not expensive, the food is good and the atmosphere is kind of relaxing and secluded as well."

"Sounds good to me. Ummm... Could I borrow some clothes off you though? I don't think that a T-shirt and sweats is exactly the right attire for a restaurant regardless of how relaxed the atmosphere may be," said Heero with a sheepish grin.

"Of course you can. I've got a newish pair of jeans that should fit you and a turtle neck you can borrow. Err... You will be able to get the jeans on, won't you?"

Heero blushed as the memory of his previous battle with a zipper came back to him. "I'll try not to put you in that predicament again, Duo."

"No problem, I don't mind helping you out, ummm... let me re-phrase that. I'm happy to assist you if you need any help... Oh shit! Look, you know what I mean." Duo was blushing bright red all the way to the roots of his hair by now and Heero couldn't help but laugh at the vet's dilemma.

"I know what you're trying to say, Duo; and thank you." Heero placed his hand on the vet's shoulder and squeezed lightly.

Duo continued to blush but thought it better to shut up now before he dug himself any deeper into the hole he'd created and couldn't get out with his dignity intact. "It's okay," he mumbled and opened the door to the house. 

Heero went to put the kettle on and set the mugs out for a cup of coffee, Duo went through to the 'phone and checked the answering machine before calling the restaurant and reserving a table for them. Walking back into the kitchen he was presented with a steaming cup of coffee and took it eagerly.

"Heero, you're a life saver," he said as he blew gently at the beverage before taking a sip. "Ahh, just what the doctor ordered."

Heero chuckled. "I thought you could probably do with a cup. Are your days normally this full?"

"It depends. Sometimes they're worse," Duo replied with a grin.

"Worse?"

"Yup, but we can talk about that later; we'd better get showered and changed if we're going out for dinner. Come on, I'll get you those clothes and a pair of sneakers as well." Duo carried his mug of coffee through to his bedroom, Heero following behind. Entering the room, Duo set his mug down on the small dresser and went over to the built in wardrobe. 

Heero's eyes widened when he stepped into Duo's bedroom and he glanced around, eager to learn a bit more about the things that Duo liked and store that information into his brain where he could analyze it later. The room wasn't overly large and decorated in soft, pastel tones. The walls were a cream color, with a beige carpet; it was thick and soft on the toes while cream colored drapes with a hint of violet hung at the window. Besides the dresser and built in wardrobe, Heero noted the large, queen size bed flanked by a night stand on either side of the bed head. A cream and violet bedspread covered the bed with two deeper lilac throw cushions tossed against the pillows. In the center of the bed sat a large stuffed animal which on closer inspection turned out to be a border collie, complete with collar. Heero gave an amused smile. A couple of prints hung on the walls, one of an old fashioned hunting scene showing the hounds and following hunt in full flight across a field whilst the other was a group of kittens all sitting in a row staring at the camera. A silver photo frame sat on the one night stand and Heero could just make out the photo inside it. It was a much younger looking Duo sitting on the shoulders of a man who could only have been Duo's father. The resemblance was uncanny. Heero jerked from his mental appraisal of Duo's room when the vet addressed him.

"Here you are, Heero. The jeans are a little large on me so they should be okay on you," said Duo as he put the clothes on the bed. "Umm... you're going to need to wear some underwear with the jeans, Heero."

It was Heero's turn to color. He'd forgotten about his underwear, or rather lack of and Duo was right, the jeans would require him to wear something underneath, the last thing he needed was to get his 'dangly' bits caught in the bite of the zipper. Once more he was saved by the generosity of the vet.

"Here, try these." Duo fetched a pair of boxers from inside the dresser drawer and handed them to Heero who took them gratefully. "As you can see, I haven't worn them; they're still in the packet."

"Arigato, I don't know how to thank you enough, Duo."

"Then don't. You're taking me out to dinner, remember? Speaking of which, if we don't hurry up it will be too late to get anything to eat. You go shower first, I can wait until you're done."

"Okay." Heero picked up the clothing and headed back to his room; leaving the turtle neck and jeans on the bed, he took the boxers with him to the bathroom and took his shower. He was as quick as he could be with only one hand and dried himself as best he could. The strapping was a little damp but Heero didn't worry too much about it, he would be going to see his own doctor the day after tomorrow and having it checked and restrapped anyway. He managed to get the boxers on and draping the towel over his shoulders, he exited the bathroom. "It's all yours," he called out to Duo as he headed for his room to do battle with the jeans.

"Thanks," Duo came out of his room, boxers in hand and made for the bathroom. He caught a glimpse of Heero as the young man was just entering his room to finish dressing; and Duo's mouth went dry. "Oh, god," he murmured to himself as his groin began to stir. Abruptly he shot into the bathroom and closed the door, leaning back against it and trying to get his heart rate to slow down. "Fuck! He's gorgeous," he muttered to his reflection in the bathroom mirror. Heaving himself off the door, he quickly stripped, tossed the clothes into the laundry hamper and stepped into the shower stall. Turning the water on he avoided the spray for a moment until the water heated up enough and then he stepped under it.

Grabbing the soap he lathered his body, washing away the dirt and grime of the day. He fervently hoped that his pager would stay quiet tonight and let him enjoy his date with Heero in peace. The water sluiced down his well toned body, leaving his skin slick with the soapy bubbles, his half hard cock begged for Duo to give it some attention but Duo didn't have the time. "Maybe later," he promised the organ. It visibly deflated as he deliberately turned his thoughts to a Mrs. Kingston who was one of his clients and about eighty five, or so he guessed. Picturing the woman in a bikini was enough to make his cock recoil in horror and almost shrivel up. He rinsed himself off and turned off the faucet, grabbing a towel and drying the water from his body. The boxers were slipped on and Duo opened the door to head back to his room and dress.

Heero managed to get the jeans on his legs and tugged them up over his hips. Being a little looser than his jodhpurs had been he was able to get the button done up and the zipper hardly protested, sliding up with minimal fuss. Heero sighed audibly at that. He really hadn't fancied having to ask Duo for help with his fly again, even if he did hope to have Duo in a more intimate and sexual way at a later date. They were both still a little unsure of what was developing between them and needed to take it slow; let the friendship grow, the trust follow and then the foundation for a solid, more romantic involvement would well and truly be in place. Heero could wait.

Picking up the turtle neck, Heero looked at it and debated the best way to put it on. Eventually he decided to try getting his left hand and arm through the sleeve first, then he could use that hand to pull the garment over his head and down his torso. Well, that was the plan in theory. Shame it didn't happen in the practical. He managed to get his left arm and hand through the sleeve okay, he even got the turtle neck over his head; and that's where it stayed. No matter what he tried he couldn't get the garment to shift any further, he was stuck with his head caught inside the neck part and the rest of the fabric bunched on his shoulders. 

Reluctantly he resigned himself to having to ask Duo for help again. He couldn't see too well through the weave of the fabric and moved cautiously to the door. He found the knob and opened it. "Duo? Could you spare a moment please?" His voice was a little muffled considering he was trying to talk through the clothing.

Duo's door opened and the vet stepped out, all dressed and ready to go. He stopped in his tracks though when he spotted Heero. "Did you call me?" he asked, trying to keep the mirth from his voice. 

"I need a hand here," replied Heero.

"Looks like you need more than a hand, Heero," Duo chuckled as he took in Heero's state of partial dress. The turtle neck was bunched around the man's shoulders and completely obscured his head. "Hold on a sec and I'll help you out. Duo stepped close and carefully took the hem of the garment and pulled it down over Heero's shoulders and torso. He folded the roll of fabric around Heero's neck, freeing Heero's head and allowing him to see and breathe properly again.

"Arigato. I thought I was going to suffocate in there," smiled Heero.

"Don't worry, I would have given you mouth to mouth," replied Duo cheekily as he folded up the empty right sleeve and pinned it out of the way.

"I would hope so," replied Heero softly.

"You ready?" asked Duo, changing the subject. Heero did look nice in his clothes and the jeans fit him well, much better than they did Duo and Duo found his eyes wandering over the denim, noting the snugness of the material around Heero's ass.

Heero ran his fingers through his wild mess of hair, it didn't do anything though, immediately falling back into its usual mop and partially obscuring his eyes. "Yeah, just need to grab my wallet, put on the sneakers and I'm set to go."

"Right. I'll get my boots on and meet you in the kitchen." They parted way's again, meeting moments later in the kitchen. 

Heero was glad that the sneakers had Velcro as opposed to laces; it made them much easier to put on with the use of only one hand. He patted his back pocket checking that his wallet was still there and then looked up as Duo walked in. Instantly warmth flooded his body. Duo looked delicious. Also wearing jeans, only Duo's were black and tight fitting, the man oozed sensuality. The dark blue, button down shirt highlighted the unusual color of the vet's eyes and hung nicely on the slender frame. The top two buttons were undone giving Heero a lovely view of Duo's hairless chest. He could smell Duo's cologne and the heady mix went straight to his libido.

"Come on, let's go," stated Duo with a smirk as he noticed Heero's eyes raking over his form. From the expression on Heero's face, Duo thought it safe to assume that Heero liked what he saw.

Duo drove while Heero gazed out at the passing landscape, not that he could see much as it was fairly dark by now. They pulled up at the small restaurant and got out of the car, locking it and then entering the building. A smiling Chinese woman met them and greeted Duo as if he were a long lost relative then showed them to their table. It was a booth at the rear of the restaurant which was partially secluded but still allowed the occupants a reasonable view of the remaining restaurant. Duo thanked her and opened up his menu, Heero did the same.

"That was Meiran. She and her husband, Wufei, own and run this place. I've dined here a few times and treated Wufei's dog," Duo offered by way of explanation for the woman's affectionate behavior.

"Aa." Heero didn't get a chance to question Duo as a man with black hair pulled tightly into a pony tail came over to their table.

"Mr. Maxwell. It has been too long since you visited us. I'm honored you have chosen to dine with us this evening." The Chinese man bowed as he addressed Duo.

"It's been a while, Wufei. Oh, I'd like you to meet a good friend of mine, Heero Yuy. Heero, this is Chang Wufei."

Heero stood and bowed in greeting to the Chinese and received a bow in reply. "Good to meet you, Chang Wufei."

"Likewise Mr. Yuy." Wufei shook the offered hand. 

"How is Xander, Wufei?" asked Duo politely.

"He is fine, thank you for asking. There has been no re-occurrence of the mange since your treatment of his condition."

"That's good to hear. Keep up with the use of the antibacterial shampoo and he shouldn't have a re-lapse."

"I will be sure to do that, thank you. Now, gentlemen, what can I get for you?"

Duo ordered spring rolls to start with and at Heero's suggestion that they share a couple of dishes for their main course he ordered the Peking duck as well. Heero decided on the prawn toast for his appetizer and the beef in oyster sauce with a small fried rice for the main. Wufei took the order and departed, Meiran meanwhile bringing them the drinks they'd ordered upon arrival.

Sipping on his lemon, lime and bitters, Heero asked Duo about Wufei's dog. "Chang calls his dog Xander?" he stated and Duo nodded. Heero had a mental picture of a Rotweiller or Doberman pincer flash into his head, it seemed the type of animal the Chinese man would have.

"Yeah, funny name I know but it suits the dog. He had a case of mange a while ago, caused a lot of his hair to fall out. Wufei was absolutely horrified, he adores that dog but he'd never admit it."

"Really?" To Heero, Wufei didn't appear to be the sort of person who would get all mushy over a dog.

"Poor animal, it was literally scratching all the hair off its body and making its skin raw to the point where it was beginning to bleed. Fortunately with some antibiotics and the special shampoo we can control it and eventually kill the parasite, although it does take a while. I think Wufei would be devastated if he lost that dog."

"Loves it that much, huh?"

"Yup. Personally it's not the sort of dog I'd have though."

"What sort of dog is it?" Heero asked, expecting Duo to say something like German Shepherd or the like. What he did say left Heero in shock.

"Xander is a Chihuahua."

Heero nearly sprayed his drink across the table. "A Chihuahua? Shit! I'd have thought he was the Rotweiller type, or maybe a Shepherd; but a Chihuahua? You have to be kidding me?!"

Duo joined in with the laughter. "Nope, Heero. It's a Chihuahua alright. About this big," Duo used his hands to show the size of the small dog. "And has a nip on it like you wouldn't believe."

"It bit you?"

"Only once. Let me tell you, those bites from the smaller dogs hurt a lot more than the ones from the bigger dogs. Little shits have needle sharp teeth on them. Fortunately most small dogs are usually nice natured but you do get the odd one that can be a prize cow. In Xander's case, the bite was purely reflex and not malicious. He was scared and when an animal is scared it usually relies on its teeth and claws to defend itself. He didn't mean to bite me; usually he's all over me like a rash, unlike Brutus."

"Brutus?"

Duo paused before answering as Meiran brought their appetizers then. Once she had departed, Duo continued with his tale. "Brutus is a Dachshund, he belongs to the guy that owns the newsagents and he positively hates me."

"Why?" Heero couldn't imagine anyone or anything for that matter hating Duo, the man was too gentle, too caring.

"Here's the story," replied Duo as he finished chewing his spring roll and reached for another, dipping it into the sauce and taking a bite before continuing in-between mouthfuls. "I got a call from Reg Harvey, he's the guy that owns the newsagents. Seems he'd been doing some work in his garden on the Sunday, you know, cleaning up, digging over the garden beds and putting in some vegetables. Anyway, he put a load of snail pellets down to keep the slugs at bay and then went to put all his tools and stuff back into the shed. When he came back all the snail pellets were gone and Brutus was looking pretty pleased with himself and licking his chops."

"The dog ate the snail pellets?"

"Yup. I can't tell you the number of animals I've treated for snail pellet poisoning or the number of times I've told people not to pile them in heaps, you only need a few and they should be scattered around so as the animals can't get at them. I think if people were to see the distress a dog or a cat goes through from eating snail bait then they would stop using the pellets altogether."

"Shit. So, what happened?" Even though he didn't have a dog or a cat, Heero made a mental note to check his shed's contents and chuck out anything remotely resembling snail pellets.

"Reg 'phoned me straight away and I headed for his place immediately. I wanted to get to the dog and treat it as quickly as possible, before too much of the poison could get into its system. When I got there I used a foul syrup which I poured down the dog's throat to induce vomiting. Brutus duly brought the snail pellets back up and I gave him a shot of 'antidote' to neutralize any poison that may have made it into his system."

"And?"

"He took it as a personal insult."

Heero laughed.

"It's not funny, Heero." Duo's eyes were amused though. "Since that day every time I've seen the dog, Reg has to restrain him. He growls and snaps and bares his teeth at me. I have no doubt that he would rip me to shreds if he ever got the chance."

"But, you saved his life," said Heero.

"Yeah, I know I did, but you try and tell him that. Here he was, enjoying an unusual meal when along I come, pour some shit stuff down his throat and make him chuck up. Then I stick him with a needle as well. I don't think he's going to forgive me any time soon, Heero. Makes it embarrassing though when I go into the shop to buy a paper or something. He's only got to hear my voice if Reg has him at the shop and the little bugger does his damnedest to get out through the door to attack me. I now have the paper home delivered." Duo sighed and pushed his empty plate away.

"You certainly lead an interesting life, Duo," chuckled Heero.

The evening progressed pleasantly for the pair. The food was good and the conversation flowed; mostly it was Duo doing the talking, telling Heero little snippets about his life as a vet, some of his patients and the odd things that had happened to him. Heero found himself more and more captivated by the man's gentle nature. He learnt quite a bit about Duo that evening and the more he learnt about the long haired vet, the more he wanted to learn.

The evening had to come to a close though and reluctantly they left the restaurant and headed back to Duo's in the car. The sweep of the headlights along the driveway caused Heero's depression to deepen a little as he knew he had to make his way back to his own home and return to work on the 'morrow. He'd have liked nothing more than to stay with the vet for a few day's more, but that wasn't possible.

They got out of the car in silence and walked to the house where Duo unlocked the door and let them inside. "Would you care for a coffee or something, Heero?" Duo knew the rider had to be getting back to his own home but that didn't mean that Duo wouldn't miss him. He was missing Heero already and the man hadn't even gone yet!

"No, thank you. I think I'd best get going, Duo. It's going to take me about half an hour to drive home as it is and it's getting late."

They stood just inside the kitchen door, an awkward silence stretched between them. Finally Heero made a move. He stepped close to Duo and wound his arm around the vet's waist, pulling Duo close to him. "Thank you for the evening, Duo. I had a great time," he said softly and kissed Duo's cheek before releasing him from his grasp.

"I had a great time too, Heero. Thanks for taking me out," Duo replied softly. "I'll walk you to the car." Duo picked up his car keys and handed them to Heero then they walked back out into the evening and towards Duo's car that Heero was going to borrow. 

Heero unlocked the door and turned back to face the vet. He raised a hand and brushed his knuckles gently over Duo's cheek. "I really did enjoy myself tonight, Duo."

"So did I," came the quiet reply.

"May I?" Heero asked as he looked at Duo's lips.

"I'd be offended if you didn't."

With a warm smile, Heero swooped in and caught Duo's lips in a soft, yet sensual kiss. Lips parted and tongues entwined, greeting each other and exploring the inner secrets of each others mouths. Duo felt himself beginning to melt under Heero's lips. God, the man sure knew how to kiss! He pressed himself against Heero, feeling his body flame as heated passion began to burn through him. He felt Heero's warmth and own rising excitement press back against his belly. Reluctantly he broke the kiss.

"Thanks again for the wonderful evening, Heero."

"You're welcome, Duo. I'd like to take you out again soon if I can."

"I'd love that."

"Just name the day and I'm yours. I'll take you anywhere you want to go."

"I'll let you know, Heero," Duo chuckled, his arms still wrapped around Heero's body. "Are you sure you're going to be okay, Heero? You're more than welcome to stay here."

"I know that, Duo, and thanks for the offer, but I really should be going back home. I will call back tomorrow after work to see how Zero is doing and return your clothes."

"Till tomorrow then," Duo whispered huskily and reached for another kiss.

"Until tomorrow," Heero echoed and let himself become lost once more in the intoxicating taste and touch of the long haired vet.

~ * ~ 

tbc....


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Heero managed to drive Duo's car home without any trouble. He took it slow, the headlights picking out the road and before he knew it, he was pulling into the familiar driveway. He brought the car to a stop in the small carport that adjoined the house and got out, locking the vehicle before walking to the front door. The house was bathed in darkness, the moon having disappeared behind a cloud. Fumbling with the keys, Heero found the one he sought and unlocked the door. He stepped inside and threw back the bolt as he switched on the light. His home was really nothing more than a small cottage. Two bedrooms with a kitchen, bathroom, lounge and laundry. He tossed his keys onto the small table and went along the hall to the kitchen at the rear of the house. He turned on the light and sighed. The dishes still sat on the draining board from his breakfast on the morning of the show. He made a mental note to re-wash them. Filling the kettle and setting it to boil, Heero fetched a mug and tea bag from the canister. While the kettle water heated he opened the 'fridge and removed the carton of milk; he sniffed it and wrinkled up his nose. It was sour. Pouring the contents down the sink, he turned the kettle off; looked like he would have to skip the cup of tea.

He fetched himself a glass of orange juice instead. Sipping at the sweet juice he stared out the window, the moon had come back out of hiding and the yard was lit with a silvery glow. It seemed strange to see the stable empty. Usually Heero could see Zero in his stable from the kitchen window, but Zero was at Duo's, recovering from his strain.

Duo.

The thought of the vet brought a dull ache to Heero's chest. He'd fallen and fallen hard for the handsome man. Despite his injury and the injury to his beloved horse, Heero was happy in a way that the fall had occurred, because if he hadn't fallen then he wouldn't have met Duo. If he hadn't met Duo then he would still be plodding along in his usual routine, doing the same thing day in, day out. Not that Heero disliked his routine; on the contrary, he enjoyed looking after his horse. Work was the necessary evil of the day, required for him to be able to feed both himself and his animal but Heero looked forward to the end of the working day best when he could come home, change into his jodhpurs and ride his horse. Now that he'd met Duo he had an added reason to look forward to the end of each working day.

Glancing at the clock, Heero noted with a start that it was later than he'd thought. He needed to get to bed and sleep if he was to be at work on time in the morning. He quickly took his painkillers and anti inflammatories, washing the pills down with the last of the orange juice before dumping the glass in the sink and heading for his bedroom. He managed to get out of the jeans and turtle neck without too many problems and tossed them onto the chair. He'd put them through the wash in the morning before leaving for work. He found his pajama bottoms and pulled them on, opting to leave the top off. Sliding between the cool, familiar sheets he checked his alarm was set, turned off the lamp and settled down to sleep.

Fortunately sleep came quickly and Heero's dreams were filled with a violet eyed vet.

***

Duo watched the tail lights of the car disappear down the driveway, once they had vanished from view he gave a sigh and turned towards the stable block. A quick walk and he was inside, checking Zero's water bucket and re filling his haynet. "Your master has gone home, Zero," Duo said to the horse as he rubbed the animal's head. "I hope he's going to be all right."

Zero gave the nice man a soft nudge.

"If you're after more carrots you can forget it, buddy. There's only a couple left and they're for the morning. I'll call the stock feeders first thing and get some more delivered along with another bag of chaff and bale of hay."

A soft grunt from the horse was Duo's reply.

"I'm going to bed,. I'll see you in the morning, Zero." Duo quickly checked the bandage and gel pad, happy that they were still firmly in place. He had changed the gel pad again earlier and given Zero a half dose of pain killers. The horse appeared to be responding well to the treatment so far and Duo was quietly confident that he would make a complete recovery. With one last pat, Duo left the stable, checking that the door was secured before turning off the lights and sliding the main barn door across. He secured that as well then walked slowly towards the house, his mind reliving the evening and Heero's parting kiss. The memory of the kiss stirred his libido and the familiar warmth began to spread through his groin.

He stepped back into the house and saw the two mugs sitting in the sink. An ache lodged in his chest and he turned away from the sink and went through the house, checking everywhere was locked before heading for his bedroom. He turned down the bed and went to the bathroom to relieve himself. Washing his hands he noticed Heero's towel hanging on the rail and as childish as it seemed he couldn't help himself and picked it up, burying his face into the soft pile and inhaling Heero's scent. His eyes misted and the ache burned even fiercer. Mentally berating himself for the silly act, he reminded himself that Heero would be back tomorrow afternoon. 

Leaving the bathroom, Duo went back to his bedroom and stripped out of his shirt and jeans. He tossed them onto the chair and turning out the light, climbed into bed. He lay on his back, hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling, his mind wandering back over the evening and previous couple of days. He couldn't deny his attraction to Heero and was happy that they had finally gotten at least that much out into the open. He knew he was being cautious, but Duo hadn't been involved in a serious relationship before. He'd dated, sure; the girls for appearances sake and then the odd casual evening out with another man but nothing had stirred his heart like the dark haired rider. He was shy, that much he did know but he had good reason to be. Of the few male dates he'd experienced most had wanted an easy lay or one night stand; Duo guessed it was because of his hair and the length of it. Somehow it came across to him that because he wore his hair long most other men immediately assumed he was a submissive and therefore easy to take advantage of. They soon found out differently though and once they realized that Duo wasn't simply going to lay down and spread his legs for them, they moved on. There had been a couple of guys he let get a little closer, gone out with a few times and even done a little making out in the back seat of the car with; but he wasn't ready to take that final step with any of them. No, Duo wanted the one he lost his virginity to, be it as seme or uke, or both, to mean more to him than a simple partner.

Duo wanted romance, he wanted to be courted, to be accepted as an equal, treated with respect and courtesy, to be accepted for who he was inside and not his looks or body. 

Duo wanted love.

He snorted to himself and rolled over, staring out of the window at the moon. There was something different about Heero. His inner instinct told him that this man was on a similar wave length to himself. The mere fact that Heero hadn't tried anything other than to treat Duo with respect when Duo had told him that he wasn't interested in just jumping into bed, that he wanted a commitment of sorts, to be desired for his mind and personality just as much as his body, spoke volumes to Duo.

Finally, here might be the person he'd been seeking, the one he could give his heart, mind and body to and know that he would be cherished and not abused or taken advantage of. He knew he was expecting a lot, he'd probably watched one too many romantic movies, or read one too many Mills and Boon romance novels, but even if his standards were high, no way was Duo going to lower them. No, after all he'd gone through so far in his young life, the sacrifices he'd made along the way he was determined to at least respect himself; and if that meant he set high standards, then so be it.

With a sigh he flopped over to his back again. Dinner had been sweet, a lovely gesture from Heero and Duo had thoroughly enjoyed himself. His pager had stayed quiet which was an added bonus so he'd been free to relax and savor the company. Despite them having to part ways, Duo knew the dark man would be back tomorrow and eagerly looked forward to seeing Heero again. Meanwhile he needed to get some sleep. He had Zero to take care of first thing in the morning, then surgery and all being well he could do some grocery shopping in the afternoon. At this stage he didn't have anything booked in for the afternoon so in-between morning and evening consults he was pretty much free to do what he wanted.

The memory of the parting kiss came back to haunt him and his body warmed. He knew he wouldn't get any sleep, not whilst his cock was stirring and demanding some attention. He slid a hand over his chest and tweaked one of his nipples, teasing the soft nub until it hardened. His eyes slipped shut as the hand wandered over the skin of his abdomen and slid inside his boxers. Fingers teased through the damp curls and located the rising shaft. He groaned as he fisted the organ, gently tugging and swiping his thumb over the swollen head, pleasuring himself.

The feel of Heero's tongue as it probed around his mouth flooded his mind and his cock jerked. Idly he wondered how that mouth would feel around the head of his cock, the mental picture supplied by his helpful brain caused him to groan and tug harder. His other hand drifted inside his boxers and cupped his sac, rolling his testicles in the palm of his hand and then squeezing softly. His tugs increased, the pleasure built and his hips began to thrust upward as the edge drew closer. Tightening his grip a little and giving one last swipe of his thumb over the engorged head, Duo fell over the precipice and into nirvana. "Ahhh.... Heero..." he cried softly as his orgasm raced through him, erupting from the small slit in thick, creamy pulses, coating his hand, soaking his boxers and dribbling into the chestnut curls. Duo's hand continued to pump, slowing a little as he milked the now sensitive organ of all it had, satisfied with the boneless feeling that now resided in his body. Finally letting the limp organ slip from his grasp, he lay for a few moments, recovering, before seeking the bathroom and cleaning himself up.

Clean and with a fresh pair of boxers, Duo again climbed into bed and prepared to sleep. This time his satiated body was more than happy to comply and within minutes, Duo was asleep and dreaming of dark haired riders and carrot loving horses.

***

The alarm went off and Heero hit the snooze button. He really didn't want to wake up. He tried to hang onto the last vestiges of the wonderful dream he'd been having when the shriek of the alarm had disturbed him, but he failed. He rolled over and gasped with pain as his fractured shoulder connected with the mattress a little sharply. "Fuck!" he swore under his breath and quickly moved to a more comfortable position. He lay for a few moments longer and then decided he'd better get up and get ready for work. Sliding out of the bed, he turned the alarm off and stretched a little. He padded through to the bathroom and used the toilet before washing his hand and face. The roughness of the stubble collided with his hand and Heero realized he hadn't shaved for the past two days. He hadn't thought about it in his 'Duo induced haze' and now jolted when he remembered that he'd kissed Duo goodnight. The stubble must have been rough against Duo's soft skin but the vet hadn't said anything. Heero mentally cursed himself for his error. How the hell would he ever be able to convince Duo that he was the right person for the vet if he couldn't remember such a simple task as shaving?

Reaching into the bathroom cabinet he fetched his electric razor out and plugged it in, quickly dealing with the two day growth. He splashed a little cologne on once he'd finished and cleaned his teeth. Ablutions taken care of, Heero went back into the bedroom and pulled the covers up, he couldn't make the bed properly with one arm so he left it, it wasn't as if he was expecting company. Dressing was the next obstacle to be confronted. Fresh underwear and black cotton slacks were easy enough to get on but the button down shirt defeated him. It was as if the little buttons knew and flatly refused to pass through the button holes. After five attempts, Heero gave up in frustration; but he couldn't go to work without something on his chest. He rummaged in the dresser drawer and found a newish looking polo shirt. It would have to do. At least it had a collar and best of all; no buttons. Heero managed to get it on over his head and push his arm through the sleeve. With the shirt being short sleeved he didn't worry about pinning the empty sleeve, not that he would have been able to anyway.

Socks and shoes followed, Heero grateful that he'd chosen a pair of loafers for his work shoes, the soft leather footwear had no laces and slid on easily. The comb refused to tame his wild mess of chocolate hair and it slid back into it's normal state as soon as Heero pulled the comb free. He took a quick look at himself in the mirror. At least he was neat and tidy, if his boss expected him to come dressed in his usual attire of shirt and tie than he was going to be sadly disappointed. He picked up his brief case from the corner of the room and headed for the kitchen, remembering at the last minute that he didn't have any milk.

"Fuck!" Heero scowled at the interior of the 'fridge. There wasn't much in there that he could eat. Well, there was but with one hand he didn't have the time needed to whip something up for breakfast and cereal was out of the question due to the lack of milk. He grabbed a couple of slices of bread and dropped them into the toaster. Staring out the window while the bread toasted, taking his pills and sipping on the last of the orange juice, it felt funny not to be heading outside to put Zero into the paddock and feed him his breakfast.

The toast popped up and somehow Heero managed to get a little butter onto it. He gave up on the jar of jam though, he couldn't open the lid with only one hand. Stuffing a piece into his mouth he grabbed the car keys and headed out the front door. Dropping the briefcase to the ground he pressed the button for the central locking, pulled the piece of toast from his mouth and swallowed before putting the toast back in his mouth and opening the door. He tossed the briefcase to the passenger seat, took another bite of the toast, chewed and swallowed, stuffed the last bit into his mouth and climbed in. He buckled the seat belt, slid the key home and started the car. Minutes later he was on the road and heading to work.

There wasn't too much in the way of traffic on the road and Heero pulled into the company car park with five minutes to spare. He grabbed the briefcase and locked the car, running his hand over his face to make sure no crumbs lingered and smoothing down his shirt before picking up the briefcase and heading towards the front door of the building. He stepped inside and was immediately greeted by Freida, the receptionist.

"Oh, Heero. How are you?"

"Not too bad, Freida."

The young receptionist gave a snort. "Your face tells a different story. Shit, you must have hit the ground hard to cause that sort of bruising."

"My face doesn't hurt surprisingly enough, but the shoulder is giving a few twinges."

"Well, I think it's very rude of Mr. Donaldson to expect you to come in so soon after a nasty fall. You could have a relapse or something at any time. He should have given you at least a week off to recover. Didn't your doctor tell you to take time off? Rest and all that stuff?"

"Actually the doctor at the hospital who treated me did. He gave me a sick note for three days but I don't think that's going to make any difference," sighed Heero. He wouldn't have minded having a couple more days to spend with Duo.

"I still think it's disgusting. If you start to feel ill or that shoulder gives you any trouble then you let me know and I'll sort Mr. Donaldson out for you, Heero," the receptionist said with a defiant look in her eye.

Heero chuckled. He knew the young woman meant well, but she was no match for their boss. He also knew she had a bit of a crush on him. "I'll be fine, and I can fight my own battles, Freida but thanks for the offer."

"Anytime," came the reply as Heero headed off down the corridor to his office. 

Entering the small office, Heero dropped the briefcase beside the desk and booted up his computer. Whilst the data base loaded he sat down, opened the case and flipped through the contents, pulling out a couple of folders he'd been working on towards the end of last week. As the computer settled so he clicked on the program icon for his accounting software and began his day's work.

***

Duo rose to the chorus of the birds. He rolled over and blinked lazily for a few moments before tossing back the covers and walking through to the bathroom where he took a quick shower, cleaned his teeth and shaved. With a towel wrapped around his hips he headed back to the bedroom and slipped on a pair of boxers; jeans and a loose T-shirt followed. He quickly made the bed and then brushed out his long, chestnut hair, removing the tangles and then braiding it neatly once more. The kettle was the next part of his routine and when it boiled he made a cup of tea. Mug in hand he collected the washing from the hamper in both the bathroom and his bedroom, carrying it through to the laundry and dumping it on the floor to be sorted out. As he sifted through the garments so he found Heero's jodhpurs, shirt, socks and briefs from the Sunday. It looked like Heero had forgotten them. Duo gave a small smile and then a chuckle as the memory of Heero's dilemma with the zipper came back to him. He was secretly pleased though that Heero had forgotten the items, now at least besides Zero, Duo had another reason to see the dark haired man again. Not that Duo doubted for an instant that Heero would be back.

Having sorted out the clothes, Duo dumped a load into the washing machine, turned the knob and added the detergent. Pushing the button the machine sprang into life and began to fill with water. Finishing off his tea, Duo set the mug in the sink and unlocked the back door. Moments later he was striding towards the stable block and his patient.

Zero heard the footsteps coming and neighed his greeting, hanging over the stable door as Duo pushed the larger, sliding door across and let the morning air flood the complex. "Morning, Zero," Duo said as he paused at the stable door and patted the horse's neck. "How are you feeling today?"

Zero simply wuffled and began to search Duo's pockets.

"I told you, no carrots until breakfast," Duo chuckled and reached for the lead rope clipped to the side of the stable. The lead rope was attached to the halter and Duo led the animal from the stable towards the crush. Zero was still limping and refusing to take much weight on the injured foreleg, but Duo expected that. It would take time for the tissues to regenerate and heal. With Zero installed in the crush, Duo checked the gates were closed and then began to remove the bandage and gel pad. Zero leaned his head down and blew softly through his nostrils into Duo's hair, ruffling the young vet's bangs.

"Hey! Cut it out, will you?" Duo patted the horse away but it didn't deter Zero for long. His muzzle was back seconds later, this time though, Zero not only blew through his nostrils but he began to lip at Duo's hair as well, tugging gently on the strands.

"Oy! Leave the hair alone, buddy," scolded Duo, but his tone was amused. "I haven't got time to wash it this morning and I don't need horse slobber in my hair when I'm seeing clients."

Zero gave him and innocent look.

Duo shook his head and returned to the leg. The swelling had begun to recede and Duo ran his skilled fingers down from the knee, over the cannon bone to the fetlock joint where he pressed and prodded. "Sorry, my son," Duo muttered in apology as Zero flinched when he pressed on a tender spot. "At least it's not as swollen today," he said softly to the horse and straightened up. "Let's get some cold water on that and re-bandage it. Then you can have your carrots and breakfast." Duo walked over to the rolled up hose and uncoiled it, dragging it back to the crush. He managed to rig the hose to the side of the crush and turned the water on. The cool stream ran out of the end and after a few minor adjustments, Duo managed to secure the hose so that the water would flow over the foreleg and leave him free to attend to other things; such as cleaning out the stable.

Zero was quite happy to stand in the crush with the soothing water running over his leg, it was relaxing and the horse's eyes drooped, along with his head and ears. 

Duo checked the animal again and snickered at the relaxed state of the horse. He picked up the plastic bucket he used for manure and the 'poop scoop' [1] and disappeared into the stable. Zero was a fairly clean animal, having selected one corner of his stable to use as his 'toilet' and therefore all the manure was in neat little piles close together. Duo sent a silent prayer of thanks to Zero and the horse's mother for this act. [2] Some horses Duo had admitted in the past and had to clean up after were positively terrible when it came to the stable, depositing their manure and then proceeding to play 'football'' with it, spreading it from one end of the stable to the other. It certainly made the task of cleaning the stable take twice as long, as it was literally like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Zero though had left his completely alone and it only took Duo a couple of minutes to scoop it all up and deposit in the bucket. He carried the bucket out the back of the complex and emptied the manure onto his growing compost heap. Duo gave the compost heap a look of approval. He would be able to spread it out over the patch of ground he'd kept to use as a vegetable patch soon. Returning to the stable, Duo put the bucket and scoop away then picked up the rake and spread the sawdust around the stable, leveling it off and making it all neat. The water bucket was next, Duo taking it out the back and emptying it out before giving it a quick scrub and setting it back in the stable to refill once he'd finished with the hose on Zero's leg. He checked the horse again, the water still running slowly over the swollen limb and then went into the feed shed to make Zero's breakfast. He cut the carrots lengthwise [3] and kept one back, depositing the rest into the horse's feed bucket and mixing the feed around.

Zero began to wuffle as he heard the rattle of the feed bins and Duo mixing his breakfast. He started a series of low whinnies though when Duo appeared out of the feed shed carrying the bucket. "You'll get it soon, Zero," Duo promised as he disappeared into the stable and emptied the feed into the larger feed bin in the stable and gave it another mix up. Setting the empty bucket down outside the stable, Duo turned the hose off and disconnected it from the side of the crush, taking it into the stable to fill up the water bucket before rolling it back up neatly. He grabbed a towel and dried off Zero's leg, the horse molesting his hair again whilst he did so.

Trying to put the fresh gel pad and bandage on the injured leg was turning into a trial for Duo. Every five seconds he had to bat the horse away from his head. It seemed the animal had a real fetish with his hair. 

Zero was enjoying this new game. He liked the scent of this man, even if it was mixed with smells he normally associated with pain. The human's hair was particularly interesting to him; it was almost as long as his own tail and the horse couldn't think what the human would want with such long hair, unless of course he liked to flick the flies away with it too. The human's hair was soft and tickled his muzzle, Zero liked that sensation and so lipped at the strands, enjoying the teasing touches against his soft skin. He could easily dodge the half hearted attempts of the man to stop him and the more the human tried to make him cease, the more Zero wanted to play.

Zero was bored by himself. He wanted the company of either his master, this nice human or at least a paddock and seeing as how he wasn't getting the paddock and the time his master or this man spent with him was limited, he wanted to make the most of it.

Finally Duo managed to get the gel pad and bandage on and firmly in place. He straightened up and gave the horse a glare. "Look what you've done to my hair!" he scolded, but he couldn't put any anger in his voice, Duo had been rather amused by the whole thing. "And don't give me that 'butter wouldn't melt in my mouth' look either, Zero."

The horse gazed ahead, liquid eyes searching the vet's face.

"Oh, shit. How can I be mad at you?" sighed Duo and reached into his pocket, pulling out the carrot. "Here you go."

Zero took the carrot graciously and crunched happily on it.

"I'll just pop the 'bute in your feed and then you can go back in the stable. I'll have to go wash my hair now," Duo admonished as he ran his fingers through his bedraggled bangs. Moments later he secured the door to the stable, hung up the lead rope and left the horse eating his feed.

Arriving back at the house, Duo placed his call to the stock feeders, ordering some more hay and extra carrots, he had a feeling he would be going through a lot of carrots. With the order out of the way he shot into the bathroom to sort out his hair then grab a quick bite of breakfast before heading to the surgery and opening up for his morning consults. He hoped it wasn't too busy as he needed to get some grocery shopping done as well. A beeping sound came from the laundry as he entered the bathroom and Duo spun around. "Fuck! The washing," he stated and glanced at his watch. If he pushed it he would have just enough time to pop the washing on the line, clean his hair up and maybe swallow some breakfast. So much for an organized morning routine.

***  
Heero sighed in frustration and flipped the page in the folder. His eyes were getting tired and his arm ached from all the extra typing he was doing. He looked up sharply as his door opened and his boss stepped inside. "Morning, Mr. Donaldson."

"Morning, Heero, glad to see you're back at work," barked the older man. "How's the Fletcher account coming along?" Mr. Donaldson walked over to Heero's desk and peered over at the computer screen.

"It's nearly finalized. I only have a couple more pages of data to enter and then there's only the lists to total. Once that's done I can work out the profit and loss margin and the audit will be complete."

"About time, Yuy. This account should have been finished yesterday, the company is waiting on it you know and we did promise them they would have it this morning."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Donaldson. As I explained to you yesterday, I did have a fall..."

"I can see that," snapped the man. "Your face looks like it's been through the meat grinder. As for your standard of dress..."

Heero sighed inwardly and braced himself for the barrage he knew was coming.

"I shouldn't have to remind you that we have certain dress codes here, Yuy. I expect all the staff to conform with them."

"I'm sorry but I couldn't get the buttons on the shirt done up with only one hand."

"I expect you to be correctly attired for your position within this company tomorrow, Yuy. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Mr. Donaldson."

"Good. Now, this Fletcher account, you should have it finished by now."

"Like I said, I'm almost done with it, sir. I'm a little slower as I only have the use of one hand..."

"I don't need to hear your excuses, Yuy. You're employed by this company to do a job and you 'will' do it and do it properly, efficiently and quickly. Time is money and we have a lot of other clients whose books are waiting to be audited. We are already a day behind schedule because of your time off and I won't tolerate anymore of this tardiness from you, understand?"

"Yes, Mr. Donaldson."

"Have you gotten rid of that stupid animal yet?"

Heero's head spun around so fast he thought he'd given himself whiplash. "No. I do not intend to sell Zero... *Sir*." He couldn't help the slight edge to his voice as he spoke, nor the emphasis on the word 'sir'.

"I suggest that if you want to keep your job here, Yuy, you get rid of that thing, sell it to the dog food company or something, I don't need my staff unable to work because of injuries sustained pursuing such absurd pastimes. I expect the Fletcher account on my desk, complete and ready to file by one." Mr. Donaldson walked away towards the door.

"Excuse me, sir, but are you threatening me with the loss of my job if I refuse to sell my horse?" The anger was barely controlled.

"No, I didn't say that, I merely made a suggestion that would be beneficial to both our careers. Now, I have work to do. One o'clock, Yuy," and with those final words, Mr. Donaldson left.

"Why you low down, pig headed, up yourself, fucking son of a bitch!" Heero growled. "I'd love to see you sell your best friend to the slaughter house, you prick. Then again, I don't think you have any friends, you shit head of an asshole. God I'd love to let Duo loose on you with his scalpel and needles, he'd fix your wagon for you..." Heero was so angry he didn't care that he wasn't making any sense, all he cared about was several miles away being cared for by the other thing he cared about. Heero shook his head. He really didn't have the time to dwell on the threats that 'Old Mac Donaldson' as he'd nick named his boss had made. He still had the account to finalize and it was already eleven thirty. If he worked through lunch he might just get it done in time. Shoving all thoughts of revenge and possible ways of torturing his boss, including letting Zero use him for target practice aside, Heero returned to the account on his screen and began to slowly type away. Four o'clock couldn't come quick enough for him.

~ * ~ 

tbc....

 

[1] Poop scoop. A nifty invention that is basically a small basket type thing with holes in it and a separate handle with a square piece of metal attached to the end, sort of like a small shovel. You use the handle (shovel) bit to scrape the manure into the 'basket' then shake the basket. The bigger pieces of manure stay behind whilst the sand/ sawdust/ shavings, drop back out. I have 2 and wouldn't be without them.

[2] Most horses learn from their mothers in regards to their toilet habits. Some horses are really clean and only utilize one section of their stable/yard/ paddock to deposit their manure in. Others for some reason like to literally kick the shit everywhere.

[3] Carrots should always be cut lengthwise never 'round' when being fed to horses as they can choke on them.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Heero gave a sigh and pushed back from the desk. His shoulders ached and throbbed to the point where he couldn't tell which was the fractured one. His hand had begun to cramp up and his eyesight blurred from time to time; but at least the Fletcher account was finished. He looked up at the clock. Twelve thirty five. He picked up the folder and stood, checking one last time that he had everything in there before heading out of his office and to where his boss waited. He stopped outside Mr Donaldson's door and shuffled the folder in his hand so he could knock on the door. He waited but no answer was forthcoming. He knocked again. He caught a movement from the corner of his eye and turned his head to see Cindy, Donaldson's secretary walking towards him.

"If you're looking for Mr. Donaldson, he's out to lunch, Heero."

Heero's face contorted into a scowl.

"He should be back by one thirty if that's any help, or is there something I can do for you?"

"He asked me to have this account finished and on his desk by one o'clock. The client is waiting for it." Heero couldn't help the tinge of anger in his voice as his expression clouded.

"You can leave it with me if you like, Heero. I'll pop it on his desk and let him know it's there as soon as he gets back," replied Cindy, the obvious annoyance in Heero's voice going straight over her head.

Heero contemplated the folder in his hand for a moment then handed it over. "Arigato. Tell him it's the Fletcher account. If he has a problem with it, don't bother to come and see me, I'm out to lunch."

"Huh?" The secretary clearly looked bewildered.

"Never mind. Thank you." Heero turned on his heel and walked back down the hall to his office. He resisted the urge to slam the door, closing it a little more forcefully though than usual. He slumped back into his chair and his stomach growled, reminding him that it wanted to be fed. Normally Heero brought his lunch with him to the office and sat either in the staff lunch room or his office to eat. Today though with the extra time spent dressing for work due to his injury he hadn't had time to make himself anything to eat and breakfast had been sketchy, a fact his stomach was reminding him of... loudly. "Ah, fuck it!" he swore. "Fuck, Donaldson, fuck the Fletcher account, in fact, fuck everything. I'm going to get something to eat," he snarled to the computer screen and checking that he had his wallet, he left his office.

Freida looked up as he entered the reception area. "You going somewhere, Heero?"

"Lunch," came the curt reply.

"But, lunch break is over."

"Mine has just started."

"Errr..."

"Freida, don't." Heero gave the receptionist a small smile by way of apology. "I'm really not in the mood to explain right now, okay?"

The young girl nodded and held her tongue.

"Thank you." Heero headed once more for the front doors to the building.

"What shall I tell any of your callers, or the boss if he wants you?"

"Take messages from the callers; as for the boss... Tell him I went insane and they came to take me away," Heero threw over his shoulder as he exited.

Freida sat and watched him go, an amused smile on her face. 

Heero walked out of the building and down the short street to the main thoroughfare of the town. There were plenty of sidewalk cafes scattered along the strip, intermingled with a few restaurants, shops and a set of golden arches. Heero walked into the first cafe he found and took a seat at the rear. He picked up the menu and glanced through it, trying to select something that would fill the hole in his stomach and could be eaten with only one hand.

He settled on a ham and salad sandwich.

When the waitress took his order he had to swallow his pride and ask to have the sandwich cut into four pieces, there was no way he would be able to pick it up and eat it without losing most of the contents if it was only cut in two. His short black arrived after a minute or so and the sandwich shortly after. As he ate, so Heero let his mind wander back to Duo and Zero. He wondered how Zero was this morning, hopefully coping much better than he was. He checked his watch, this time yesterday he'd been heading down to the surgery with Duo to help the vet with the cat spay. He wondered if Duo had any operations booked in for today. He also wondered if Duo was missing him as much as he was missing the vet.

Sipping on the coffee and feeling the caffeine start to kick in, Heero suddenly remembered his cell 'phone. He could give Duo a call and see how his horse was, oh, and casually ask after Duo as well. He grinned and pulled his cell from his pocket, flipping the thing open, he paused. "Shit! I don't have his number," he muttered to himself. Mentally kicking himself, Heero closed the cell up and dropped it back into his pocket. That was something he would have to rectify when he saw Duo later that evening. Finishing off his lunch, Heero paid the bill and left, stopping at the greengrocer on the way back to pick up a couple of apples for Zero. He figured that his horse could have the treat and to hell with the resulting slobber that was bound to happen seeing as how Zero was convalescing. At least one of them could be happy.

As Heero walked back into the office his dark mood returned. One look at Freida's face told him Donaldson was on the warpath. He raised an eyebrow at her. She shook her head, put her finger over her lip and then pointed down the hall in the direction of Donaldson's office.

Heero nodded and slunk down the hall to his own office, hiding the apples in his desk drawer, pulling up the accounting program and starting work on his next account as quickly as he could, attempting to look as if he'd been working away for a while. He knew that Donaldson would come looking for him soon enough, he also knew the outcome probably wouldn't be pretty either.

He was right.

***

Duo managed to get the washing on the line, swallow some fruit and wash the worst of Zero's slobber from his bangs in record time. It was only a temporary wash, he would do his hair properly later, right now, he didn't have the time. He shot up the small connecting pathway and entered the surgery through the back door. Grabbing his white coat from the back of the consulting room door, he shrugged it on as he opened up the small reception area and fired up the computer. Draping the stethoscope around his neck he was unlocking the door and turning the small sign around to read 'open' as the small 'Garfield' novelty clock he had on the waiting room wall chimed nine thirty. No one was waiting on his doorstep so Duo went back behind the reception area and tried to sort through some of his accounts.

Fifteen minutes later he was rescued from the obnoxious machine when a client arrived with a kitten for its vaccinations. The small cat was duly stuck with the needle, meowed piteously and was rewarded by lots of cuddles from its owner. Returning to the reception area, Duo wrote out the receipt and placed the cash in the cash box before attending to his next client. The morning passed fairly quickly with a steady stream of clients. He swabbed out an abscess on a dog's leg, vaccinated a puppy, diagnosed a viral infection in a rabbit, trimmed a budgie's beak and confirmed a pregnancy in a cat. He also took two more bookings for dog sterilizations later that week and received a call out for the afternoon to see a cow with mastitis. All in all it was a very productive morning. 

Closing the door after the last client, Duo quickly tidied up the consulting room and stacked all the clients files in a neat pile on the desk. He really should load them all into the computer whilst the cases were still fresh in his mind. He looked at the computer and then at the files. With a sigh he picked up the first one; hopefully, he would be done in an hour and could go do some grocery shopping. He'd arranged to see the cow at three that afternoon on his way back from the store and had been quite pleased with himself for being organized for once.

Fifteen minutes later, Duo was still struggling with the computer that seemed to take great pleasure in losing files, causing data to disappear once he'd saved it and generally being an annoying piece of machinery. If he didn't need the thing for his practice, Duo was tempted to give it the 'green dream'. [1] At least his patients only tried to bite, claw or kick him occasionally, not fry his brain or test his patience like this hunk of metal, wires and circuits. He wondered what would happen if he were to perform a lobotomy on the thing.

Duo slammed his hand down on the desk growling at the screen when a file he'd saved moments ago refused to return. "That's it!" he snarled at the computer. "I've had it with you. You can rust in hell for all I care! I've a good mind to flog you off to the pawn broker." He hit a couple of commands on the key board and the screen changed... It came up blue with an error message on it.

"Aggggghhhhhh!" Duo cried as he hit the enter key. The screen changed, went black and then... nothing. "You useless, fucking, heap of wires and sparks!" ranted Duo as he realized the system had crashed on him. He viciously stabbed at the computer's power switch to turn the thing off but it wouldn't turn off, it hummed away happily, black screen staring back at Duo. Resisting the urge to tear out his hair, Duo eyed the power point on the wall and with a triumphant smirk, turned it off. Instantly the room was quiet, the humming ceased then there was a small click from the screen as it tried to resurrect itself before giving a hiccup and resigning itself to its fate. "I'll sort you out later," Duo muttered under his breath, "With a scalpel if necessary." He turned and stalked from the room, along the hall way and out the back door of the surgery building, locking it securely after himself.

After swallowing a quick bite of lunch, checking on Zero and refilling the horse's haynet, Duo double checked the contents of his trunk, making sure he had the necessary drugs on board to treat the cow and then climbed behind the wheel. Moments later he was on the road and heading for the small store in the town center, mentally running a shopping list through his head. He parked the car close to the store and checked it was locked and the alarm system working. He'd been pleased to note that Heero had a car alarm fitted to the vehicle. He also had one on his own car; it was a necessity really, considering he carried drugs in the trunk. Not that it would stop anyone determined enough to want to pinch any drugs, but it was certainly a deterrent.

He headed into the store, cursing himself for not having stopped for five minutes to write out a list of things he needed. He thought he would have learnt by now, having made this error before. If he didn't make out a list he invariably forgot something; last time it had been the salt, the time before that, toilet paper. For someone with a brilliant mind, he occasionally lacked common sense in everyday things. Picking up a basket he began his trek down the first aisle, he opted for a basket as opposed to a trolley, the trolley was larger and he could put more in it, thus tempting himself to buy things he didn't need and spend money he could ill afford; also trolley's had a habit of sending all four wheels in different directions, that's assuming they had four wheels to start with. After his last fiasco with a stubborn trolley that had seen him run up the back of a portly woman only to ricochet off into the pyramid display of canned baked beans, he'd not shown his face in the supermarket for two months. He wondered if the junior storeman had forgiven him yet.

Wandering along the aisles he began to fill his basket, most things he could remember but when he got into the meat section he paused. Heero was dropping by after work to see his horse and Duo didn't know if the man would want to stay for dinner or if he had other plans. Come to think of it, Duo didn't have a clue what Heero liked to eat. At least he knew he wasn't a vegetarian, not after yesterday's meals. With a sigh, Duo selected a tray of steak, some chicken and a couple of pork cutlets. He placed them into the basket and aimed for the fruit and vegetable section, a glance at his watch told him he'd better hurry up or he would be late for his appointment with the cow so he quickly selected some vegetables and with his basket now full, headed for the checkout.

The young slip of a girl behind the register scanned his purchases through and dropped them into bags, flirting outrageously with Duo whilst she did so. Duo did his best to ignore the blatant attempts at picking him up, smiling sweetly but rebuffing the girl as he did. Finally she was finished and Duo paid for the groceries, picked up the bags and went back out to the car. The bags were loaded onto the back seat and Duo was once more on the road.

***

"Yuy!"

Heero looked up as the door to his office slammed open and his boss walked in, his face clouded.

"Yes, Mr. Donaldson?"

"Where the hell have you been?"

"I've been here working, sir."

"Don't try that innocent crap with me. I told you to have the Fletcher account on my desk for one."

"I did, sir. I brought it down to your office at precisely twelve thirty seven, you were out to lunch so I gave it to your secretary to pass on to you. Didn't she give it to you?" Heero could feel his own anger rising and fought to remain in control.

Donaldson faltered for a moment then took a breath and resumed his attack. "Yes, she has now, but that's not the point. I came back from lunch and it wasn't on my desk, I came to find you to see where it was and I couldn't find you either. You know the lunch break is from twelve until twelve thirty, Yuy!"

"I know that, Mr Donaldson; but, I worked through the lunch break to get that report finished for you and on your desk by the requested time. Once it was finished I took my lunch break. I only took the designated half an hour and was back here in my office by one ten."

"Not good enough, Yuy! Not only are you tardy but your standard of dress is lacking, you're badly behind in your work and now you're taking lunch breaks when you feel like it. This is a respectable company, Yuy, and I will not see it brought down because you insist on being lazy and allowing your outside life to intrude on your work."

"I have never let my outside life affect my job, Mr Donaldson," Heero growled, his anger beginning to get the better of him.

"Then how do you explain your absence yesterday? Your standard of dress today? Your slowness with your work? I suppose this is all a figment of my imagination?"

Heero had to remind himself that you got twenty five years for murder. "This was an unfortunate accident, *sir*. It has never happened before and it's unlikely it will happen again."

"Damn right it won't happen again."

"Sir, if I may remind you of Peterson who broke his arm whilst playing cricket last year? He was unable to work to full capacity for eight weeks but no one told him he had to give up his hobby," Heero all but snapped.

"That was at the other branch and nothing to do with me. Besides, cricket is a decent sport, this business of flouncing around in tights on the back of a smelly beast isn't sport, that's just being ridiculous and giving men a bad name."

"How dare you!"

Donaldson's head jerked in surprise and then his brows knitted together. "Don't you take that tone with me, Yuy. I'm your boss and as such you will show me the respect I deserve. I have a business to run and I expect my employees to all pull their weight. You are not doing that. So far two of your accounts are behind schedule and there are another three you should have started today. Next week we are going to be flat out with all the end of year audits for our regular clients and I need to be able to rely on my staff to do their jobs... You are only performing at fifty percent and all because of some ridiculous animal fetish. I can't afford to have my staff unable to do their jobs because they persist in pursuing ludicrous pastimes. Get rid of the thing, Yuy. You'll never have any money or a decent girlfriend whilst wallowing around in horse shit."

Fortunately Heero was still sitting down, if he hadn't have been then no doubt he would have fallen, he was shaking so much with suppressed rage. "How dare you!" he repeated and fixed his boss with cold, blue eyes. "Firstly; whatever I do outside working hours is my own business and nothing to do with you. Secondly; Showjumping is not a ridiculous sport, in fact it is one of the hardest and most competitive sports out there because you are dealing with a living, breathing creature. Yes, they can be unpredictable; yes, falls and accidents do happen but fortunately most of the time neither party is injured. This is the first time I have suffered from a serious injury from a fall and I am doing my best to cope with that. Thirdly; I am doing the best I can here to keep up with my work. I had intended to take some home with me tonight to do so that I don't fall behind but after your comments I don't think I want to. I am entitled to a lunch break under the Accountancy award and if I work through the scheduled break to get a job finished by a dead line then I am entitled to take my break as soon as conveniently possible."

Heero began to stand and lean over his desk towards Donaldson who was starting to turn a few interesting shades of purple. "If you want me to show you some respect as my boss then I think you need to take a good look at yourself first and how you treat your staff. Respect needs to be earned, as does trust and I'm afraid you have given me no incentive whatsoever to give you either." Heero's face was centimeters away from his boss's as he spat the last words.

"Why you insolent little shit! I've a good mind to report you to Mr. Browning for that. You've certainly just kissed goodbye any chance you ever had of promotion through the company, Yuy. As for your work, I think you should concentrate on getting it done as quickly as possible, one arm or not, I expect you to keep up with the schedule, this company can't afford to employ slackers."

"I am not, nor have I ever been a slacker, Mr. Donaldson," Heero growled through clenched teeth. "I said I had intended to take work home with me so as not to fall behind, but..."

Donaldson raised an eyebrow.

"Now I don't think I want to."

"I'm warning you, Yuy. I won't tolerate insubordination from you. I'd be careful what you say to me, or else..."

"Or else what, Mr Donaldson? You'll fire me?"

"Remember those were your words, not mine, Yuy."

"Don't bother. I'll save you the trouble; I quit, effective immediately. I have better things to do with my time than work with assholes."

"Why you..."

"Can it, asshole. I don't need this shit from you or anyone else. I can easily get another job, I'm a good accountant."

"I'll put the word out on you, Yuy. You won't be able to get a job picking up shit by the time I'm done."

"I'll also be letting Mr Browning know of the reasons behind my resignation, as well as informing him of the dick head they have in charge of this branch."

Donaldson began to pale.

"I'm sure Mr Browning will be pleased to hear what's going on in this branch, just exactly how you treat the staff here."

"Empty threats, Yuy. You have nothing to back you," snarled Donaldson.

"Don't I?" smirked Heero. "I guess you're just going to have to wait to find out."

Donaldson began to splutter but Heero wasn't listening. He knew he could get some of the other staff to back him but he really didn't want to drag them into this mess if he could help it, better to leave them out of it. The small tape recorder that he kept in his drawer for recording memos to himself on should have taped enough of the conversation to be a valuable asset without the need to get his coworkers involved.

"Is there anything else you wanted, *Mr. Donaldson*?" Heero made sure to put sarcasm into his tone. "If not then I would appreciate you leaving my office so I can collect my things and depart."

"You can't just up and leave like that, what about the Sanderson account? The Walkerdon account, and not to mention the audits for the regulars?"

"Too bad. Do them yourself."

"Now listen here..."

"NO! You listen, asshole. I don't have to put up with this shit and I won't. I quit! Resign, finito, end of story. Do you understand or is that too much for your tiny pea brain to comprehend? You know something, Donaldson? My horse has more intelligence and character in his shit than you do in your entire body, now get the fuck out of my office!"

Donaldson began to back up towards the door, his face was red with anger but he'd cut off his nose to spite his face. "Fine! Pack your shit, get out and don't show your face around here again. I'll be informing Mr Browning of your attitude and you can rest assured you won't be getting any reference, severance pay or anything else, you little prick."

Heero opened his desk drawer and took out the small recorder that was still going. He waved it at Donaldson. "Thank you for all the evidence. I'm sure Mr. Browning as well as the Accountants board will be interested in this little conversation."

"You what?"

Heero's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Get out! Get out of my office now before I forcibly remove you, you sorry excuse for a human being," he snarled.

Donaldson turned and as he went to leave so he realized they had an audience. He'd left the door open when he'd come in earlier to tackle Yuy and their raised voices must have attracted the rest of the staff. Now most of the building was gathered outside the door, all staring with wide eyes and shocked expressions. Donaldson glanced around at them before barking. "What the hell are you lot doing standing there? Don't you have work to do?" the group quickly dispersed and Donaldson went back to his own office to try to figure out how the hell he could salvage his career that was soon to be in tatters.

Heero sighed and slumped into his seat. What the hell had possessed him to lose his temper like that? Now he had no job, no income and not a clue as to how he would survive. But, he couldn't deny that it had felt good finally being able to tell Donaldson exactly what he thought of him. He knew he would get retribution, all he had to do was present the taped evidence to Mr Browning and the Accountancy board, but it would take a while for the wheels of justice to set in motion. His bank account wasn't overly comfortable but he should have enough to tide him over for a month or so. He'd have to get himself another job though; and soon.

Packing the last of his things into his briefcase, Heero grabbed the two apples from the drawer, shut down the computer and took one last look around the office. He was sad to leave but it was necessary. He couldn't work there any longer, not under these circumstances. He stepped outside the door and closed it behind him. Picking up his briefcase he began the trek along the hall way for the last time, surprised when other staff members came out to wish him goodbye and good luck, many congratulating him on standing up to the ogre of a boss.

Freida was particularly sweet. She gave him a hug and made him promise to look after himself. "If you need anyone to back you up, Heero, you can count on me. I know what that asshole is like."

"Thanks, Freida but I'll try to get this all sorted out without having to involve any of you guys," replied Heero, touched by the concern and support from his fellow workers.

"Just remember we are here if you need us, okay?"

"I will." Heero picked up his briefcase once again and exited the building. He climbed into the car, buckled up the seat belt and started the engine. Then he realized he didn't have a clue where he was going to go or what he was going to do. He sat for a moment contemplating his options then decided he needed a stiff drink. Putting the car into 'Drive' he headed for the local tavern and a scotch with his name on it.

***

Duo slipped his hand gently over the cow's udder, feeling the heat and swelling. "Poor girl," he soothed and dodged as the cow tried to kick him. He straightened up, resting one hand on the cow's shaggy backside and turned to look at the farmer. "It's certainly mastitis, Mr. Fenwick. When did you first notice it?" Duo moved away from the cow and towards the car to retrieve the drugs he'd need to help the cow.

"I spotted it this mornin' when I was bringin' 'em in fer milkin'. She damn near kicked me arm off when I tried to put the milkin' machine on 'er."

Duo chuckled. "I've no doubts about that, Mr. Fenwick. She's very tender but this will soon fix her up." Duo raised the bottle and drew back the required amount into the syringe. Tossing the bottle back into the boot, he picked up a swab and went back to the cow, clipping a patch of hair on the neck and after swabbing, inserting the needle and depressing the plunger sending the drug into the animal's system. "That drug should kick in and start to work in about an hour, she'll feel much better by this evening. I'll stop by tomorrow afternoon and check her again. She may need a repeat dose but usually they're okay with the one."

"Thank you, young man."

"You're welcome, Mr. Fenwick."

"Can I gets you to send me an account for what I owes you?"

"Sure. I'll send it out at the end of the week, that okay?" Duo replaced the items in their respective places in the trunk and prayed he would have his computer back up and running in time to do his weekly accounts, he really didn't fancy hand writing them all.

"That's fine. Thank you."

"I'll call by tomorrow afternoon then, if there's no improvement, or she takes a turn for the worst, call me straight away and I'll come right back out, Mr Fenwick," Duo said as he hopped back into the car.

"Will do, laddie," the farmer replied and then waved as Duo headed off down the driveway.

Pulling back out onto the road, Duo pointed the car in the direction of the surgery and glanced at his watch. It was three forty five. He still had time up his sleeve to get back, unpack the groceries and tend to Zero's leg before opening up for evening consults. He had forgotten to ask Heero what time he would be finishing work and dropping by so he assumed he would see the rider somewhere around six. That would mean he would only have an hour of evening consults left before he could spend some time with the dark haired man.

He pulled into the driveway and noticed that the feed store truck had been and left his delivery outside the feed shed door inside the barn. He'd have to put that away when he went to do Zero's leg. He brought the car to a halt and cut the engine. Quickly he grabbed all his grocery bags and walked up the short path to the back door and unlocked it. Stepping inside he dropped the bags to the table, checked the answering machine and put all the groceries away. Leaving the steak on the shelf in the 'fridge, Duo picked up the laundry basket and fetched the now dry washing in. He left it in the basket to put away later, he didn't have time now, Zero's leg needed attending to.

Moments later he was inside the stables and heaving the feed bags and bales of hay into the feed shed. He was pleased to note that the two large bags of carrots were fresh and he popped one into the small 'fridge in the feed shed and opened up the other. He could hear Zero wuffling through his nostrils and the vet chuckled to himself as he walked back out pulling a couple of strands of hay from his hair. "Here you are, boy," he said as he passed Zero a carrot. "Bet you gave the feed man a shock and a half when he delivered that little lot. No doubt you would have tried to accost him as he walked past."

Zero didn't answer, too busy munching on his carrot to pay any attention to the vet. He had paid particular attention to the nice man that had come earlier, smelling of lovely food scents and had even managed to score a mouthful of hay as the man had carried a bale of it past his stable.

"Come on, let's have another look at this leg of yours and this time, leave my hair alone," Duo said as he led the animal out and into the crush.

Zero must have listened to him for once as he behaved himself and let Duo attend to his leg without too much interference. The leg was re-bandaged and Zero put back into his stable with another carrot for good behavior and Duo was once again heading for his home. He checked the time again, four thirty. Putting the kettle on to boil, Duo went through to the bathroom to clean himself up a bit before enjoying a coffee and walking down to the adjoining surgery to open up for the evening consults. He glanced at the computer, shook his head and didn't even attempt to turn it on.

With his white coat and stethoscope in place, he flipped the small sign around to read open and waited for his first client.

***

Heero sat at the bar nursing a beer. He'd had the scotch he'd promised himself and almost choked on the fire of it as it blazed a trail to his belly. He decided one was enough. The beer was a little kinder to his innards so he'd stuck with that. Right about now he was feeling mellow, the alcohol had soothed his anger a little but now he was beginning to think about his predicament. He had no job, no income and a horse to support. He gave a snort and the bartender gave him a questioning look. Heero shook his head. Most men would be saying they had a wife to support, but not him, no, he had to be different, he had a horse to support. Somehow it struck Heero as rather funny.

Zero.

Thinking about his horse jolted Heero from his wallowing in self pity and as he looked at the clock he gave a start. It was five fifteen. He motioned for the bartender to come over and purchased a few more bottles of beer to take with him, he wasn't quite ready to give up the numb feeling just yet. Walking back out to the car, he placed the beer on the passenger seat then got in and started the car up. He turned the vehicle onto the road and began to drive to Duo's.

It didn't take him long and soon he was pulling into the long driveway. He could see the lights on in the small surgery and gathered from the couple of cars there that Duo had clients for evening consults. His watch said five fifty five which meant Duo would be at least another hour yet so Heero parked around the back of the house by the stables, grabbed two bottles and went to see his horse.

***

Duo closed the door and locked it after the last client left. He hung up his coat, tidied up and didn't even give the files or computer a second look. They could wait until the morning. Right now he wanted a nice hot drink, something to eat and to sit and relax in front of the television, preferably with a Japanese rider snuggled with him. Duo's mind switched to Heero and he wondered if the man had arrived yet. Once he entered the house he made a bee line for the kitchen and looked out into the yard. His heart leapt when he saw his car parked there and quickly he opened the back door and headed for the stables.

Duo walked inside and turned on the lights, it was dusk and things were getting hard to see. He looked around for Heero and couldn't see him, but then he heard the voice. "Heero? Where are you?"

"In here," came the slightly slurred reply.

Duo frowned and walked over to the stable, peering over the top he could see Zero standing with his head drooping, it took a moment longer for his eyes to adjust and then he spotted Heero sitting in the corner of the stable with what looked like a bottle of beer in his hand. "Heero?" 

Heero sighed, gave a soft hiccup and took another pull from the bottle.

Duo opened the stable door and slipped inside. He knelt next to Heero and took the almost empty bottle from the man's hand. "Are you drunk?"

"No, I don't think so." Heero's voice was a little stilted.

"I think you might be, my friend." Duo helped the young man to his feet and guided him out of the stable. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"No, Duo. I'm not okay,' came the slurred response. "I quit my job, told the boss to shove it up his ass and go fuck himself."

"Oh. Okay, then. Hmmm... I think we should get you up to the house and talk about this." Duo managed to wrap an arm around Heero and with the slightly drunk man leaning heavily on him, he made his way slowly to the house and some strong, black coffee.

~ * ~ 

tbc.....

 

[1] The Green Dream; this is the slang term used by vets and vet nurses for the drug 'Lethabarb' which is the strong anesthetic used to put animals to sleep. It's green in color and painlessly euthanases the animal by simply sending them to sleep, hence the term 'green dream'.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Somehow Duo managed to get Heero to the house and inside. He half carried the man to the lounge room and sat him on the couch, propping him up a little with cushions. Checking that he wasn't about to slide off and fall to the floor, Duo quickly went back through to the kitchen, filled the kettle and put it on to boil. He didn't think that Heero was all that drunk, he appeared to be more on the mellow side, a little tipsy if anything; but not fully under the influence, something Duo was grateful for. Whilst Duo enjoyed a drink from time to time himself he very rarely drank himself under the table and didn't really like people that got drunk just for the hell of it on a regular basis. Heero didn't strike him as the sort that would generally abuse alcohol either, so for him to have got even tipsy said a lot about what must have occurred at Heero's place of employment; correction, former place of employment, he reminded himself. 

He hadn't attempted any further conversation with Heero, opting to wait until he'd gotten some black coffee into the man first. He had to admit that Heero's revelation about telling his boss to shove his job was a bit of a shock. From what Heero had told him of the man he was a prize jerk, insensitive as well as arrogant. The fact that he'd told Heero to sell Zero was enough to put him in Duo's bad books.

Idly he wondered exactly what had happened to cause Heero to quit. The kettle whistled and Duo turned it off, the coffee was made and Duo carried the two mugs through to the lounge where Heero still sat on the couch, staring out at nothing. Duo passed him a mug and Heero jerked as he came back to reality with a jolt. Taking the mug he gave the vet a small smile as Duo sat down.

"You want to talk about it?" asked Duo as he sipped his coffee.

"Not really, but I guess I have to."

"Not if you really don't want to, but it might help."

Heero sighed. "Sorry about..."

"Forget it, Heero. Get some of that coffee into you, it will help flush some of the alcohol out. I'll make us something to eat in a moment if you're hungry."

"Arigato, Duo." Heero contemplated his mug for a moment, grateful that Duo wasn't pushing him for details. He intended to tell Duo everything that had happened, he just wanted to sober up a bit first and organize his thoughts into a more logical order. "I don't usually drink."

Duo arched an eyebrow.

"I was just so mad I guess I wasn't thinking straight."

Duo stretched his long legs out in front of himself and wriggled into the couch a bit, getting as comfortable as he could. This could take a while.

Running a hand through his messy hair, Heero sighed then took another sip of his coffee. The strong, black liquid seared a trail to his stomach, helping to dispel some of the alcohol. His head cleared a little and he knew he had to explain his actions to Duo. He felt guilty for showing up and drinking on the vet's property, he had no right to do that. He also needed to explain that he may have to ask Duo if he could possibly pay his account for Zero's treatment off in installments, at least until he got himself another job.

"What happened, Heero?" Duo gently prodded.

"I really don't know how it all started..."

"Why don't you begin with what happened when you got to work?"

Sighing again Heero knew Duo was right and he cleared his throat before beginning to speak. "I guess it all started when Donaldson got onto my back about not being in a shirt and tie...."

Duo sat and listened in silence, letting Heero pour out all that had gone on that day. He didn't interrupt, simply held his tongue and listened. His eyes narrowed from time to time and the occasional soft growl escaped his lips when Heero relayed the words the boss had spoken, the threats and pushes for Heero to get rid of his horse. When Heero told him of the final showdown it was all Duo could do to stop himself from grabbing Heero and kissing him for standing up to the man. He felt his fingers twitch with the urge to hurt someone for suggesting that Zero should be sold off and that Heero give up his sport. 

"And so after all was said and done I told him that I quit, I didn't want to work for an asshole like him anymore."

"I bet that went down like a lead balloon," Duo couldn't help but say.

"Yeah, it did. He threatened to black list me; tell all the other accounting companies that I'm no good, lazy and tardy in my work. He even said he would speak with Mr. Browning, the company director and make sure that I miss out on the benefits that I'm owed."

"That fucking prick!"

Heero couldn't help the chuckle. "Don't worry, I told him I would also be having a word with Mr. Browning and let him know what an arrogant son of a bitch he has in place as branch manager."

"I certainly hope so. That asshole shouldn't be allowed to get away with such bullying tactics."

"He won't. The other staff..." Heero swallowed as he recalled the support his fellow workers had shown him. "They have all said that they will back me up if I want them too."

"They must care about you, Heero," said Duo softly.

"I won't need them too though, I had my memo tape recorder going the whole time and have the entire conversation on tape so Donaldson has cut his own throat. I don't care if I don't get my job back or any of my benefits, just as long as that dick head doesn't get to continue in his current position."

"After what you've told me, Heero, I'd say he can put his head between his legs and kiss his ass goodbye."

Heero stared at the vet, not quite believing his ears and then he shook his head, an amused smile on his face. "I'll miss Freida though."

"Freida?"

"The receptionist. She's a sweet girl and deserves better than the treatment Donaldson dishes out."

"Ahhh... I see," teased Duo. "Young, naive receptionist... easy on the eyes and with a crush on the young, handsome accountant. I can see why you would miss her."

Heero's head swiveled around so fast he was surprised he didn't hear the bones crack. "It's not like that, Duo!" he spluttered. "She's nothing more than a friend!"

"Oh, yes? That's what you say," Duo snickered as he continued to tease.

"No, you don't understand..." Heero caught the twinkle in Duo's eye and realized that the young vet was teasing him. He shook his head again and placed his now empty mug on the coffee table. Taking a chance he scooted along the couch to get a little closer to Duo then looked into amused violet eyes. He raised his hand to cup Duo's cheek and fixed the vet with his deep, blue eyes. "She's just a friend, Duo. You..." Heero swallowed. "You are the one I want to share more than friendship with, you are the one I'd like to get to know better, to share my life with, discover and enjoy all that the world has to offer... If you’ll have me."

Duo melted and leaned into Heero's palm, nuzzling it softly. "I'd like that too, Heero."

Removing his hand from Duo's cheek, Heero took the mug from Duo's hand and set it next to his own on the table, then he returned to where he'd left off, this time though wrapping his arm around Duo's shoulders and drawing the vet closer to him. His eyes grazed over Duo's face, the slightly flushed cheeks, bright, excited eyes and soft pouty lips; lips that begged for a kiss and Heero wasn't about to let Duo beg for anything that it was within his power to give. He brought them closer together and then his lips were pressing against Duo's, moving softly over the sweetness, tasting and discovering the delights once more of the vet's mouth.

Duo molded himself into Heero's arm, bringing his own up to rest on the accountant's shoulders lightly as he parted his lips and allowed Heero's tongue to invade his mouth and deepen the kiss. His tongue sought out the inside of Heero's mouth, tracing over the sensitive skin of gums and palate, entwining with Heero's tongue and sharing a dance of sweetness as they discovered each other's sensitive spots and simply enjoyed the moment. Panting slightly, they pulled apart, foreheads resting against each other's as eyes searched and found the silent answer. Their lips gravitated again, slowly and sensually moving against the other, expressing the need for reassurance to each other through their mouths. When the kiss ended, Duo pulled back a little, his tongue tracing over his bottom lip, savoring the taste of the other man.

They separated a bit, leaning back into the couch, Heero's arm still draped over Duo's shoulders and Duo snuggling against the rider's side. "What are you going to do now, Heero?"

Good question.

"I'm not really sure. I guess I will get in contact with Mr. Browning tomorrow and the accountancy board; I'll need to lodge a formal complaint against Donaldson for the board to be able to do anything. I'm not sure what Mr. Browning will say or do though."

"Well, he certainly can't sweep it under the carpet," growled Duo softly, he really was getting comfortable resting against Heero like this, it was something he was sure he could get used to.

"He's not the sort of person to do that. He'll certainly make sure that the matter is looked into. I'll give Mr. Browning his due, he's a very fair and just man," replied Heero. He liked the way Duo fit against him and tightened his grip around Duo's shoulders slightly.

"Well, at least that's a start. Are you going to be all right for money, Heero?" Duo really didn't like to ask such a personal question but he figured if Heero didn't want to answer then he wouldn't, he'd tell Duo to mind his own business and Duo would butt out.

"I'll be fine," replied Heero. "I do have a little bit in the bank that should tide me over for a bit. I'll start looking for another job tomorrow."

Duo shifted as his mind engaged and he raised his head to be able to look at Heero. "You sure? I mean, Zero's bill... I can..."

"No. I will pay you what I owe you for Zero's treatment, Duo. I don't need charity and I don't expect you to treat him for nothing. That is not fair to you, you have a business to run and you have to eat as well. You charge all your other clients and Zero is no different. I will pay you, Duo; although..."

"Although what?" Duo asked, a small smile playing on his face. 

"I would appreciate it if I could pay the bill off in installments if that is acceptable to you. I may not have the full amount when the bill is finalized and I can't think of another way to do this, I don't want to keep you waiting for your money, that's not fair. You treated the animal straight away, it's put you out of pocket with medications, feed and the like so it is only fair that you get paid promptly. If I have enough money I will pay you straight away, but if I don't, would installments be acceptable?"

Duo knew how much it cost Heero to ask that. The man was proud and Duo could tell he was used to paying his bills on time and in full. Rather than humiliate Heero and argue over the bill, he granted the man his dignity. "That will be fine, Heero. In fact I have some clients that pay their bills off that way already. They can be large at times and whilst I do my best to keep the bills as low as I possibly can, sometimes they can be quite substantial. Don't worry though, I don't bill until the conclusion of the treatment and in Zero's case that will be a few weeks yet."

"Arigato. I appreciate your understanding."

"It's okay. Besides, I have to get that demon of a computer sorted out before I can do up any bills," sighed Duo. 

"Oh? What happened with it? It worked okay for me."

"You really don't want to know, Heero."

"Tell me? I might be able to help."

"I'm seriously beginning to think that the only thing that can help that box of wires and chips is going to be a lead dispirin."[1]

"Isn't that going a little too far?"

"Actually I think that's being kind."

"Uh oh, what has it done now?" Heero couldn't help the chuckle in his voice.

"Nothing much, just swallowed a bunch of files I'd saved, won't give them back to me, puts the information into the wrong section and then goes blue screen on me. If that isn't bad enough it then turns black and won't do a thing, not even turn off. Not only have I wasted a shitload of time but I've lost the clients’ files and records as well. I'm sure it has a section in its memory banks that's reserved solely for torturing me," sighed Duo.

"Would you like me to take a look at it for you?"

"I don't know if you could be any help."

"I work with the things every day and I like to dabble a bit with programming in my spare time. I'd like to have a go at sorting it out for you if you'd let me."

"Okay then, Heero. If you're sure you don't mind that would be really good. I'm not much use when it comes to the technical side of things, give me a scalpel though and I'm right at home."

"It's a deal. I'll see what I can do for you."

"I'll pay you for it," said Duo softly.

"No, you won't."

"Yes, I will. You're not doing it for free, Heero. I can be just as stubborn as you."

"Okay, I surrender. Let me look at it first though and see what the problem is and what it's going to take to fix it. We can talk about payment after."

"Deal, only you're not looking at it now. I think we've both had enough stress for one day. How about something to eat now?"

"That would be perfect, thank you, Duo."

"I've got some steak in the 'fridge if that's okay?"

"I love steak."

"Anything in particular you'd like with it?" asked Duo as he began to work himself reluctantly from Heero's one armed embrace.

"I'm not fussy. I eat pretty much anything as long as it isn't spicy."

"Vegetables then?"

"Sounds good. Can I help?"

"I'm sure we can find something for you to do. Come on then, I'm starving. The sooner we get cooking the sooner we can eat and then we can kick back and watch a movie if you like."

As Duo went to move so Heero gently held the vet back then pulled him forwards and placed a gentle kiss to the longhaired man's lips. "Thank you, Duo. Not just for Zero, the bill and things, but for listening to me, letting me bend your ear without judging me. I'm sorry I was drinking on your property and a little inebriated. As I said before, I don't usually drink but after today and everything that happened, well, it won't happen again, I promise you that."

"It's okay, Heero. We all do stupid things, things we regret from time to time. I'm not upset at you for drinking or for getting a little, shall we say, merry? I can quite understand under the circumstances, only I don't think it's a good idea to mix the alcohol with your medication. As for listening to you, isn't that what friends are for?" Duo gave the accountant a warm smile and then pulled away to go and start making dinner.

Heero followed a few moments after, his mind working overtime as it began to come out of the alcoholic fog. Friends. Yes, that's what they were, good friends and Heero knew enough about Duo now to know that a relationship with Duo could only begin with friendship and then deepen into something more. If the friendship was solid then whatever was built upon that foundation would stand firm, able to resist the battering of the storms of life and emerge a little weather beaten but still intact.

***

Heero was put in charge of the frypan and steak whilst Duo peeled and chopped the vegetables. They chatted a little more as they prepared their food, Duo asking the odd question relating to Heero's showdown whilst Heero discovered what the vet had been doing that day. With dinner cooked, Duo set the plates on the table, cutting Heero's steak up for him, much to Heero's embarrassment and Duo's amusement. Heero hated being dependent on anyone for anything, he was used to fending for himself; but he had to admit, it felt nice having someone fuss over him.

The conversation switched to Zero over dinner, Heero asking how the leg was coming along and what Duo thought the outcome might be. Heero laughed over the antics of his horse and Duo's hair knowing himself how much Zero liked to 'play'.

"The leg appears to be healing okay so far, although there is still a lot of swelling there. I've cut back on the pain killers but the 'bute is still needed and will be for at least another week yet. I'll see how it's going by next Monday and if the swelling has begun to go down significantly then I'll start to reduce the 'bute as well. It's really up to nature, Heero, although we can help a lot with the drugs and cold water hosing."

"Any ideas yet as to whether or not he will be able to be ridden again?" asked Heero.

"Still a little hard to say at this stage. I'll take another x-ray tomorrow. I'd really like to get an ultra sound picture of the leg but I don't have the machine, can't afford one as yet," Duo replied. "An ultra sound would give me a clearer insight into what's going on inside. The x-rays are good, I can determine the damage to a certain extent, but an ultra sound would show me exactly how the healing process is going," stated Duo and then continued to eat.

"Arigato, Duo. I do appreciate everything you've done for him so far."

"It's my pleasure, Heero. He's certainly one heck of a horse. If I didn't know any better I'd say he's almost human," Duo chuckled.

"Hai, he's got a way about him, sort of gets under your skin," Heero's voice softened as he spoke about his beloved animal.

"Have you done much with him, Heero? I mean, jumping and competing?"

"No, not a lot. This is his first real go at the big circuit. I started him off with the local little shows, you know, build his confidence slowly and then once he got into the bigger classes I thought it time to register him with the E.F.A. and start competing in the graded events. I did mainly D grade with him, spreading the shows around but he soon upgraded to C grade and then at the start of this season he advanced to B grade. I was hoping to have him at A grade by the end of the season and start off next year with the hopes of being noticed by the selection committee." Heero pushed his now empty plate away. "Guess I can kiss all that goodbye now," he sighed.

"You mean the International selection committee?" Duo asked, his eyes widening.

"Yeah, I thought Zero had enough potential to catch their eye and maybe make it onto the short list for the Nations cup. I'd love to make it into the training squad, even if I don't get to jump for my country it would be an achievement to have made it that far."

Duo whistled. "That's some goal, Heero, and I wish I could say that Zero is going to make a full recovery and go on to fulfill those goals for you; but..."

"I know, Duo. It's just one of those unfortunate accidents, nobody's fault, it just happened. All I can do now is pray and wait. At least I have two consolations."

"You do?" Duo asked as he cocked an eyebrow and stood up to remove their dirty plates.

"Hai. If he can't compete at least he's still entire so I can try to breed something that just might be as good as him."

"True," Duo replied as he stood next to Heero and went to pick up the accountant's plate. "What's the other?"

"He's had the very best of care." Heero wrapped his arm around Duo's waist and pulled the vet to sit in his lap. "No one could have done any more for him than what you have, Duo. If he's never able to compete or be ridden again it won't be because of lack of trying. I've never seen anyone so dedicated to their job as what you are. Zero couldn't be in more capable hands." Heero began to nuzzle at Duo's neck, feathering kisses across the warm skin.

Duo felt himself flush with the kind words and tilted his head slightly to give Heero better access to his throat. "I'm flattered, Heero, but I'm only doing my job," Duo sighed and snuggled a little closer to Heero.

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, Heero softly nuzzling Duo's throat whilst Duo enjoyed the attentions. Feeling as though he would fall asleep if he stayed sitting in Heero's lap any longer, Duo reluctantly pulled away. "Better get the dishes done," he said quietly. "You want to go through to the lounge and see what's on the television?"

"Sure," Heero replied and stood up. "Can I give you a hand first with those?"

"Nah, it's okay, I can do them, Heero." Duo began to fill up the sink with the hot water and put the dishes in to soak.

"Okay, if you're sure," Heero replied.

"Go find something to watch, Heero. I'll be through in a moment. Want some coffee?"

"Hai, that would be nice. Thank you." Heero put the kettle on to boil and set the mugs ready with the coffee before going through to the lounge room and turning on the television. He made himself comfortable on the couch and then realized that he hadn't taken his medication. He stood up and went back through the kitchen, explaining to Duo what he was getting from the car before disappearing outside and getting the drugs. Having taken them he retired once more to the lounge and began to channel surf, Duo joining him with the coffee a few moments later.

"Anything any good on?" asked Duo as he sat down next to Heero and handed over the mug.

"Not much. Documentary on channel two, some action thriller on seven."

"What's on nine?" asked Duo as he reached for the remote and flipped to the channel. "Ohhh... Ever seen this movie, Heero?"

Heero squinted at the screen and watched for a moment before the movie registered in his mind. "Isn't that ‘Phar Lap’?" [2]

"Right first time. Have you seen it before?"

"Not all of it."

"It's a great movie, want to watch it?"

"Sure." Heero didn't really care what movie he watched as long as he had Duo sitting next to him. He took a sip from the coffee mug, glad that his pain killers were kicking in. His shoulder really stung, especially after the strain of the day's work. Even though he hadn't used the hand or arm, the position he'd been sitting in at his desk and the extra load put onto his good shoulder had strained the muscles across his back and now the fractured shoulder ached like a bitch. He shifted slightly to try and ease a little of the discomfort.

"You okay, Heero?" Duo asked with concern. He could feel the subtle shifts of Heero's body and knew something was troubling the man.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just the shoulder giving me a few twinges."

"I've got an idea," replied Duo and moved a little on the couch. "Here, lie down on your side and put your head in my lap, that way your shoulder will not have any pressure on it."

Hero blushed a little but did as Duo asked, laying himself on his left side on the couch, head resting gently in Duo's lap. He managed to get comfortable and relaxed. Duo was right, his shoulder didn't throb quite so much now that the strain was taken off the muscles.

Duo let his hand drift down and began to stroke idly over Heero's fractured shoulder, keeping his touch gentle but soothing. It was like petting a kitten. Duo could feel Heero's warm exhalations as they penetrated the material of his jeans and heated the skin of his thighs and he shivered slightly.

Heero gave a low moan of appreciation, Duo's soft caresses easing away the pain and replacing it with pleasure.

"Not hurting you, am I?"

"No. Feels good," replied Heero.

Duo chuckled and returned to watching the movie, hand still stroking lightly over Heero's shoulder and then drifting to run through his hair, across his cheek and back to the shoulder. Heero's close proximity to his groin and the warm play of air over his legs had Duo worried a little that his body would react and cause embarrassment for him, something he really didn't need right now. Whilst he couldn't deny that Heero was an attractive and sensual man, and that Duo would love to explore a sexual relationship with him, he wasn't ready for that just yet and hoped he could keep himself under control. He tried to focus on the movie and distract himself from the warmth in his lap.

Heero's eyes were drifting shut. It had been a long, emotion charged day for him and the alcohol he'd consumed earlier had seeped into his system. Whilst the effects had worn off it had left him feeling mellow and tired. His body relaxed further under the gentle touches that the vet was giving him and he tried to concentrate on the movie. He'd seen parts of it before but never watched it through to the end. It intrigued him, the relationship of the racehorse and his stablehand reminded him of Zero and himself in a lot of ways.

Duo had seen the movie before and thoroughly enjoyed it. Watching it again only reminded him of the special bond shared between Heero and his horse. Sipping on his coffee, Duo let himself be consumed by the movie. 

Eventually the credits rolled and Duo yawned. Heero shifted and raised himself from Duo's lap, muscles completely relaxed. "I guess I should be heading back home," Heero said quietly.

"You're quite welcome to stay the night if you wish, Heero," said Duo as he picked up the coffee mugs.

"As much as I would love that, I can't. It wouldn't be fair to you and I have quite a bit to do tomorrow. I need to contact Mr. Browning as well as the accountancy board and lodge a formal complaint. I also need to start looking for another job and I have my doctor's appointment tomorrow too."

"Sounds like you have a pretty full agenda."

"Yeah, you could say that. Thanks for the offer though." Heero smiled at the vet.

"You're welcome any time, Heero. Will you be calling by tomorrow?"

"Hai. I'm not sure what time but I will certainly be coming around. I want to see Zero and I did promise to have a look at that computer for you as well."

"Whenever you get here and have the time is fine, Heero." Duo walked through to the kitchen with the mugs and dumped them in the sink. "Are you going to stay for dinner tomorrow? I only want to know so I can take something out of the freezer, that's all."

"I'd love to stay for dinner, Duo but it's not fair on you to keep feeding me all the time. Please, let me take you out for dinner tomorrow."

"Heero, it's not that I don't appreciate the dinner invitation, but, can you afford it? I mean, you don't have a job at the moment and whilst you've said you're financially okay for a while paying for dinner is an added expense. I don't mind cooking for you here in the least."

Heero could see the logic in Duo's words and conceded defeat in a manner of speaking. "Okay, we will have dinner here, but only if you let me buy the food."

"Okay, if it will make you happier. You buy the food and I'll cook it," Duo replied with a grin.

"I should be going," said Heero and reluctantly made his way to the back door.

Duo followed behind and out into the evening air. The sky was covered in stars and a cool breeze blew around them. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Heero," said Duo softly as they halted next to the car.

"Thank you for this evening, Duo. For letting me bend your ear, for dinner and for not getting mad at me for drinking."

"You're welcome, Heero." Duo shifted a little closer and hesitantly placed his arms around Heero's waist. When his embrace wasn't rebuffed, he pulled Heero a little closer to him and tightened his hold slightly.

Heero wound his good arm around Duo's shoulder and buried his fingers in the soft hair at the base of Duo's neck, rubbing gently. His head tilted and he looked deep into violet eyes. "May I kiss you good night?"

"I'd be most disappointed if you didn't."

Heero allowed his lips to draw close and then press against the vet's lips. The kiss started out light but soon deepened into something more. Tongues quested forth and were admitted into opposing mouths to trace over sensitive inner tissues. They entwined and danced together, stroking and caressing each other as the kiss continued on.

Duo felt his body reacting, warmth flooded his groin and he moaned softly into Heero's mouth as he instinctively pressed his body against the hard planes of Heero's.

Catching the moan and returning it with one of his own, Heero pulled the vet even closer. He could feel the long haired man's half hard cock pressing against his thigh and his own twitched in response. He shifted slightly, whether to give Duo's cock a little stimulation or provide some friction for his own he wasn't really sure, but it felt good.

Eventually though the kiss had to end and the pair separated, flushed and excited. "I'll see you tomorrow then?" Heero asked in a husky voice that sent shivers racing along Duo's spine.

"You had better, Heero," panted Duo softly.

Heero pressed another fleeting kiss to Duo's lips and dropped his hand to the waistband of Duo's jeans. As he withdrew his lips so Heero let his hand ghost down to Duo's backside and unable to resist, he gently brushed his hand over Duo's right cheek before hopping into the car. "Until tomorrow."

"Good luck, Heero. Call me if you need any help at all."

"I don't have your number," replied Heero with a jolt. He'd meant to get Duo's number earlier but had forgotten all about it with the other events that were going on around him.

"Hang on a sec and I'll go grab one of my cards for you." Duo took off back inside the house and dug out one of his business cards. Quickly he scribbled down his cell number and went back outside. "The surgery number and my pager number are on the card. I've written my cell number on the back for you. The house number is the same as the surgery number so you should be able to get me on either of those. I usually have my cell on me as well as my pager so one way or another you will be able to contact me."

"Thank you, Duo. Here's my cell number and my home number should you need to contact me."

Duo took the offered piece of paper and slipped it into his pocket. “I already have your home number, Heero. You gave it to me when filling out the forms for Zero's treatment, remember? Although it's locked in the computer's memory banks somewhere and the way that demon is going I'll be lucky to retrieve anything."

Heero chuckled and raised his hand to squeeze Duo's arm. "I'll see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams, Duo."

"You too, Heero." Duo stepped back and watched as Heero started the car and drove off into the night. Once the car was out of sight, Duo went back to the stables, checked on Zero and locked up for the evening.

~ * ~ 

tbc.....

 

[1] Lead dispirin; again this is Aussie slang meaning a bullet. (Dispirin is a brand name of aspirin here in Aus)

[2] Phar Lap; This is an Australian movie made several years ago on the life story of one of Australia's greatest racehorses.

Note: To compete for Australia in show jumping you must be registered with the EFA (Equestrian Federation of Australia) and have your horse graded. The grades start off with D grade and go up to A grade. The different grades carry differing jump heights and widths as well as difficulty. A horse starts in the lowest grade and accrues points for the placings it achieves in competition. Once a certain number of points are scored then the animal moves up to the next grade and so on until it reaches A grade. The selection committee looks at the performances of grade A horses over several major shows to determine their 'squad' to be trained for representing the country in international competition. To make it onto the short list is an achievement in itself. (This is how it works in Aussie and from what I know it's a similar process around the world).


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Heero awoke and turned to face the clock, wondering why the alarm hadn't gone off and then he remembered he hadn't set it. There wasn't any need considering he didn't have a job anymore. He sighed and rolled into a more comfortable position, staring at nothing as he contemplated the day ahead and planning out the best way to tackle the various tasks that awaited his attention. He would need to contact Mr. Browning and let him know what had happened at the branch, then he could contact the accountancy board. Once that was out of the way he guessed he'd better get the paper and go through the employment column to see about getting another job. Before he did anything though, he needed the bathroom, and urgently.

Returning to his bedroom a few minutes later, Heero tugged the sheets and blankets back up, making the bed as best he could with only one arm. Dressing himself was the next obstacle, luckily his jeans decided to be cooperative for a change. He opted for a tank top for the moment, he could try for something a little more adventurous later when he went out. Boiling the kettle in the kitchen he was pleased he'd at least remembered to buy some milk on his way home last night. There was nothing worse than black tea or coffee.

Gazing out at the stable and paddock, Heero's heart gave a little tug. He missed Zero. So used to seeing the familiar gray face hanging over the stable door or grazing in the paddock, the place looked lost without the four legged resident. Heero sighed. He would have to remember to pick up all his gear from Duo's later and bring it home. He hadn't checked the state of his saddle or anything else for that matter since his fall, so he could only hope that all the gear was intact.

Finishing off his tea, the mug went into the sink and Heero headed for his lounge room to make the necessary 'phone calls; no point in putting it off any longer.

Half an hour later he replaced the receiver into the cradle and ran his fingers through his hair, which incidentally was still rather ripe with sweat as he hadn't been able to wash it properly since his fall, but although Duo had offered to do it for him it seemed that the young vet had forgotten about it too and Heero didn't want to remind him in case Duo thought he was being a little too forward.

He made himself a strong coffee before tackling the next call. He'd spoken to Mr. Browning, not at all surprised to find that Donaldson had already been on the 'phone to him with his side of the story. Heero patiently went through the entire process again, answering Mr. Browning's questions and giving his side of the incident. He also informed the man that he had the entire conversation recorded and would be only too happy to supply Mr. Browning with a copy of it. When Heero mentioned about taking his case to the accountancy board, Mr. Browning was a little shocked at first, but after Heero explained a few home truths about the manager in charge of the branch, Mr. Browning could see exactly why Heero felt compelled to take such drastic action. Heero had apologized for his own retaliation to Donaldson's goading and constant jibes, making no effort to try and hide behind excuses for his behavior, but he also made it clear that he wasn't about to sit back and let the manager get away with his atrocious manner towards the employees.

Mr. Browning had promised a full investigation into the matter pending the recorded evidence from Heero and would keep Heero informed of the developments as they occurred. Sighing softly, Heero picked up the 'phone again and dialed the number of the accountancy board. After wading through the automated answering service and listening to some pretty crappy and outdated music, Heero finally got to talk to someone 'real' and not a recording. He outlined the reason for his call and after being transferred yet again through two different sections he was finally able to speak with someone who could handle his inquiry. Another fifteen minutes passed, not all of them pleasant but Heero was at last satisfied that he'd managed to make his point and get some action. Duly noting down the name of the person he'd spoken to for future reference and with the assurances that the respective forms he'd need to fill out and lodge in regards to his complaint would be put in the mail 'today', Heero hung up. He took his used mug through to the kitchen and rinsed it out. Time was progressing and he needed to get showered and changed for his doctor's appointment.

Half an hour later, dressed in gray slacks and white tee, Heero was driving through the small town towards the doctor's surgery. He'd remembered to bring along the x-rays from the hospital as well as the report as he'd been instructed to do. The hospital had notified his GP of his visit to them and arranged the appointment for him, now all he had to do was attend and see how his shoulder was progressing. Heero hoped that all was going well and that his arm could be unbound. He was really missing having the use of it.

He pulled into the surgery car park and picking up the 'films', went inside. He didn't have to wait long, Doctor Bennet calling him through pretty quickly.

"Ahh, Heero. What have you been up to?" the doctor asked as he motioned for Heero to take a seat and shut the door behind them.

Heero handed over the report and 'films'. "I took a fall from my horse at the show on Sunday. The hospital diagnosed concussion and a fractured shoulder. It should all be in the report."

"Hmmm." Doctor Bennet took the folder from Heero and removed the report, scanning it quickly before removing the x-rays and holding them up to the light. "You sure know how to do a good job of things, Heero," he stated as he studied the x-rays. "Nice little hairline fracture you have going there and some pulled muscles as well, I don't doubt. Still, you're pretty lucky, it could have fractured through completely and then that would probably have meant surgery to pin and plate the bone." The doctor turned his attention back to the patient. "How is the medication suiting?"

"Fine. The anti inflammatories help with the ache and the pain killers work effectively."

"Good. Let's take a look then, shall we?" The doctor stood and moved around to where Heero sat attempting to remove his tee with only one hand. "Need some help?"

"Please."

The doctor took a hold of the hem and pulled the T-shirt carefully over Heero's torso and head before examining the strapping. "This may hurt just a little as I start to unravel it but once I have it started it shouldn't hurt at all."

"Okay." Heero grit his teeth in preparation.

Doctor Bennet carefully pulled at the elastoplast [1] that held the end of the strapping in place, peeling it back as gently as he could and trying to exert as little pressure as possible onto Heero's injury. Gradually the sticky plaster bandage yielded and gave way to the strapping and the doctor was able to remove the rest with ease. He gave a low whistle through his teeth as he inspected the skin and surrounding tissues. "Nice coloring," he said with a chuckle and began to probe the area gently. "Tell me if this hurts and if so, on a scale of one to ten, how badly; one being the lowest and ten the highest."

Heero nodded and waited patiently as the doctor ran his skilled fingers over the injured area. He gave a couple of winces from time to time, muttering out a five and seven when the doctor touched a particularly sensitive spot. Finally the doctor was finished and sat back down, studying Heero.

"There is still quite a bit of swelling there and that's to be expected. The bruising is coming out and fortunately there doesn't appear to be any ligament or tendon damage that I can tell. I'd say pulled muscles definitely, which will take time to heal."

"Do I have to keep it strapped like it was?" Heero asked.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Damn!"

Look, I'll modify the strapping a little for you and only wrap the shoulder, your arm can go in a sling for now but that is where it must stay. You start using that arm and it will take twice as long for the bone and muscles to heal; understood?"

"Hai, I understand." Anything would be better than having his arm strapped against his chest.

"If I find out that you've been using the arm at all then I will not hesitate to strap it back to your chest on your next visit. Believe me, I'll know if you've been using it or not, so don't even think about trying to be sneaky, I know you, Heero, and I know what you're likely to get up to," stated the doctor with a mock glare.

"I promise to do as I'm told," sighed Heero and resigned himself to having his arm free but still unable to be used.

"Good. I just need to check your pupils and take your blood pressure, then I'll re-strap you and see about this medication." The doctor pulled out his little flashlight and shone it across Heero's eyes, watching the pupils react. "Any headaches, nausea, dizziness, loss of sight?"

"No, nothing."

"That's good to hear." The doctor moved across the room to the cabinet that held his supplies and removed a couple of bandages, sling and more elastoplast. "Let's get this strapped again."

Heero suffered quietly as the doctor wound the bandages around his shoulder and chest, effectively immobilizing his shoulder. Once done he assisted Heero back into his tee and set the sling around his neck, securing the arm inside.

"Comfortable?"

"Yes, thank you." Heero found he was unable to move his shoulder but having his arm free, even if the amount of mobility was severely restricted, was much better than having it strapped to his chest.

"I'm going to give you a repeat 'script for the anti inflammatories, continue to take them as you are. The pain killers I'll reduce the dosage and strength of, seeing as how the injury is beginning to settle and heal. I'll need to see you again in three days to change the strapping unless anything happens in the meantime," the doctor said and handed over the prescriptions. "Take care and remember, don't go using that arm."

"Thank you, doctor, I'll be very careful and not use the arm."

"And no riding that horse for at least six weeks."

"I'll be lucky to be riding him in six months," muttered Heero.

"Oh? Was he injured too?"

Heero quickly gave the doctor a condensed version of Zero's injury.

"That's really bad luck, Heero. I'm sorry to hear that your horse was injured as well. I hope that this vet you have treating him can fix the problem for you."

"I'm sure he will," replied Heero, his voice softening as he thought of Duo. "I'll see you in three days, thanks, doc."

"You take care, Heero and make sure to rest that shoulder. Oh, I almost forgot. Do you need a sick note for work? I can write you one out if you do."

"That won't be necessary, I... I don't have a job at the moment."

The doctor frowned but didn't push the topic. "All right then. I'll see you in three days."

Heero left the doctor's room and went back to the receptionist to make his next appointment and pay the bill.

***

Traveling home from the doctor's surgery, Heero made a stop in the town center to pick up some groceries. Walking down the aisle of the supermarket he tried to think of something he could take to Duo's for dinner that wouldn't take much to cook and that they'd both enjoy. Finally he decided to cheat a little and settled upon some chicken breast, pasta and a packet of pasta sauce. Remembering his alcoholic state from the previous day he skipped buying a bottle of wine, instead he decided to buy a bottle of non alcoholic wine instead. Knowing that Duo was pretty much 'on call' twenty four hours, it made sense that the vet wouldn't indulge very often. He paused at the frozen foods section and on impulse grabbed a frozen cheesecake from the freezer, adding it to the chicken, pasta and sauce in the basket. Purchases complete, Heero loaded the groceries into the car and then went into the small newsagency to purchase the local paper. 

Once again sitting in the lounge room of his home, groceries put away, Heero had the 'phone by his side as he went through the 'Situations Vacant' column in the local rag. He placed a circle around a couple of ads then picked up the 'phone and dialled the number. The first place he rang thanked him for his inquiry but they were no longer taking applicants, having already gotten more than enough and now scheduling interviews. With a growl, Heero hit the button to disconnect and then tried the next ad he'd circled. This time he had a little more luck. Although the place was a couple of villages over and roughly half an hour driving time, Heero didn't mind. A job was a job after all and he needed one. Speaking with the receptionist he was pencilled in for an interview the following day. After obtaining the details such as address, Heero hung up feeling a little happier. The only other position advertised that he would be suitably qualified for was in the larger city, a good hour's drive away. That was too far for Heero, given that he had his horse to consider as well. Deciding to leave the job hunting for now, Heero checked the time, surprised to see it was already two o'clock.

Tidying up quickly he grabbed the groceries from the 'fridge, checked that the house was locked and secure, then went out to the car and prepared to drive to Duo's. He had a horse to visit and a computer to sort out.

***

Duo's morning had passed pretty uneventfully. He'd attended to Zero, noting that the horse was beginning to move a little better. The limp was still there but not as pronounced and Duo thought he could probably put the animal in the paddock for an hour or two that afternoon. As long as Zero didn't try to go galloping around then there shouldn't be any reason why he couldn't go out for a bit of a green pick.

Morning surgery had flown by, the waiting room having a steady stream of clients pass through and Duo found himself a little pushed to keep up with it all, especially with the computer being down. He'd really need to take a good look at hiring someone to act as a receptionist if the business continued to grow at this rate. Running a hand over his tired face he shuffled all the paperwork together and placed it in a pile. He really needed to sort it out but right now he couldn't be bothered. Once the computer was up and running again he'd no doubt have to spend ages loading it all onto the hard drive, that's assuming the machine did work again and hadn't completely eaten all his files.

Turning the sign around to 'closed', Duo locked the surgery door and went back into the consulting room to sweep the floor and wipe down the small table. He loaded all the instruments he'd used that morning into the autoclave and set the machine on to sterilize the items. They should be done and cooled down by the time he returned for evening consults. He didn't have anything booked in surgery-wise that afternoon and the only call he had scheduled was back at Mr. Fenwick's farm and the cow with mastitis. He hadn't heard anything from the farmer so he assumed that the cow was making a good recovery. 

Heading back to the house he decided to go straight out to see the cow and have lunch when he returned. After lunch he would be able to put Zero in the paddock for a bit and keep an eye on him before he needed to get ready for the evening consults. Pouring himself a glass of orange juice and drinking it down, he wondered how Heero was getting on today. His mind continued to think about the other man as he drove towards the farm, wondering if Heero had had any luck with the bigger boss and accountancy board. His mind switched tracks; Heero had mentioned having a doctor's appointment today as well, hopefully that would all go okay. Pushing all thoughts of Heero from his mind, Duo turned the car along the track that led to the Fenwick farm and pulled to a halt beside the barn. The barking of the sheepdog greeted him as he got out of the car and looked around for the farmer. Unable to spot the man, Duo went to the farmhouse and knocked on the door. Mrs. Fenwick greeted him.

"Ahh, Mr Maxwell, Joe said you'd be droppin' by. I'm afraid he's out down the bottom pasture fixing the fence but the cow is in the barn if you want to see her," the portly woman said with a smile.

"Thanks, Mrs. Fenwick. I take it she's much better now?"

"Aye, she is."

"Good. I'll go check her and give her a second shot if she needs it."

"Okay. If you need anything just knock, I'm in the middle of baking otherwise I'd come and give you a hand."

"I'll be fine, Mrs. Fenwick. I'll call back once I've seen the cow and let you know exactly how she's doing." Duo turned and made his way across the farm yard to the barn. Stepping inside his nostrils were greeted with the sweet bovine smell. Only one cow stood in a stall to the end of the barn, the rest were out in the paddocks. Quickly Duo strode up to the cow, talking softly to the animal. He scratched her at the root of her tail before sliding a hand down her flank and underneath to the udder. Gently he massaged and manipulated the organ, pleased to feel that a lot of the heat and tenderness of the previous day had gone. "I think we will give you one more shot just to be safe, hey girl?"

The cow regarded him with placid eyes as she chewed her cud.

Duo went back to the car and filled the syringe with the antibiotic. Picking up a swab he returned to the bovine and cleaned the area around the vein in her neck then slipped the needle in and depressed the plunger. The medicine flowed into the animal's circulatory system and Duo swabbed the area again before leaving the animal in peace. Tossing the used items into the various containers in the trunk, Duo closed the trunk and went back to the farmhouse to report to Mrs. Fenwick.

"She's a lot better, Mrs. Fenwick. The udder isn't as swollen and most of the heat has gone. I've given her another injection just to be safe but she should be fully recovered in a day or two. I don't need to see her again unless anything drastic should happen," Duo told the farmer's wife.

"Thanks for that, Mr. Maxwell."

"You're welcome. Tell Mr. Fenwick I said hello."

"Would you like to come in and have a cup of tea? I've just taken a batch of scones out of the oven too," replied the woman.

"I'd love to, but I can't, Mrs. Fenwick. I've got a horse back at the surgery that I need to treat so maybe some other time. Thanks for asking me though."

"Hang on a sec then," the woman said and disappeared into the kitchen. She returned a moment later with a small parcel in her hands. "Here, take some home with you and have them for afternoon tea or something. You look like you could do with some meat putting on your bones." The farmer's wife pressed the warm parcel into Duo's hands.

"Thank you, Mrs. Fenwick, that's extremely kind of you. I'll make sure to have them this afternoon."

"You're welcome, young man. Thank you again for seeing to the cow."

"My pleasure." Carefully carrying the warm scones, Duo returned to his car and back to the surgery, the smell of the baking teasing his nostrils and causing his stomach to growl and remind him that he hadn't had lunch yet. Parking the car, Duo took the scones inside and placed them on the kitchen bench. He quickly made himself a sandwich and was about to head outside with it to see Zero when he saw Heero pulling into the back of the property. His heart skipped a beat and a warmth flooded his system as he watched the man get out of the car. A smile graced his lips as he noted the sling. At least that was a step in the right direction. Still eating his sandwich, Duo opened the back door and stepped out to greet the other man.

"Hey, Heero."

Heero's breath hitched and a smile found its way to his face as he heard Duo's greeting. His eyes looked up from where he was getting the bag of groceries out of the car. "How are you, Duo?"

"I'm okay, what about you? I take it you've been to see your doctor?" Duo nodded at the sling as he walked towards the man.

"Yeah, I went earlier and he seems happy with the shoulder so far. He said I could keep the arm free as long as I don't use it, hence the sling." Heero turned and faced the vet, his blue eyes softened as he stepped closer and leaned in to steal a kiss.

Closing his eyes briefly, Duo let himself be taken by the feeling of Heero's lips against his own, finally returning the kiss with a gentle passion. "Mmmm... I like your kind of greeting, Heero," he said softly as they broke apart.

Heero gave him a warm smile. "I brought dinner. I hope that chicken and pasta will be okay. I also brought a bottle of non alcoholic wine."

Duo chuckled at that. "Chicken and pasta is fine, Heero. So is the wine. Here, let me give you a hand to carry the stuff inside. I was about to go and check on Zero and pop him in the paddock for an hour or so."

"Is his leg okay enough for that?"

"He should be fine, Heero. It will probably do him the world of good to have a green pick for an hour or two. For an animal that's so fit and used to being on the move, he's getting rather bored being confined to the stable all the time. Besides, I don't want him 'tying up' [2] either. No, he should be okay for an hour or so."

"You're the vet so I guess you should know what's best," replied Heero as he followed Duo towards the house.

"Yup, that I am so you'd better listen to the doctor's orders," quipped Duo as he placed the bag of groceries on the kitchen table and swallowed the last of his sandwich.

Heero sidled up behind Duo and pressed his body against the back of the vet, reaching around with his good arm and pulling Duo flush against him. Leaning his head into the crook of Duo's neck he nuzzled at the soft skin. "Anything else that the doctor ordered that I should be aware of?"

"Mmmm..." Duo tilted his head to allow Heero better access to his skin. "Gimme a couple of minutes and I'm sure I can think of something."

Laughing softly against the smooth skin, Heero began to feather kisses against the sweet flesh, enjoying the taste of Duo against his lips.

Duo melted into the affectionate caresses, his eyes slipped shut in pleasure and his breathing increased slightly. He could feel the hard planes of Heero's body pressed against his back and the subtle bulge resting against his backside. He moaned as his body began to respond.

Heero continued his oral worship whilst bringing his hand up to rub against Duo's chest through the fabric of the man's shirt. He gently palmed across Duo's right nipple, feeling rather than hearing the sharp intake of breath. Pleased with the reaction he was getting, Heero continued to slide his hand over Duo's chest, teasing the nipples subtly through the cloth.

"Ohh, gods, Heero," groaned Duo. 

"Nice?" asked Heero in-between kisses.

"Deliciously so," came the husky reply.

Heero decided to press his luck a little further and slowly moved his hand in circles over Duo's chest and down towards his abdomen. He could feel the shiver of the muscles beneath his palm as he grazed against the cloth of Duo's shirt; feeling the increase in the pulse against his lips, as he continued to suckle lightly at Duo's throat. Reaching the waistband of Duo's slacks, he hesitated for a moment and then lightly ghosted his hand over the bulge that was appearing at Duo's groin. The touch was brief, just a mere brush against the hardening organ, but it was enough to let Heero know that Duo's body appreciated his caresses and judging by the reaction, Duo certainly had a nice package hidden under those slacks. He gently brushed against Duo's groin again before once more resuming his caress of Duo's chest.

"Ahhh..." moaned Duo softly and he pressed himself further back against Heero's hard body. The teasing touch across his half hard cock tormented him. When Heero's hand returned for a second evaluation of his groin it was all he could do to stop himself from thrusting his hips forward for more. Part of him wanted Heero to touch him, to reach inside his pants and stroke his eager flesh and yet the other part of him screamed 'caution'! Being a virgin still and having had limited experience with the whole sex thing, Duo was understandably scared. The way his body responded to Heero had him frightened that he would completely lose control and end up doing something he regretted. Desperately he tried to call his libido back to heel. Fortunately for Duo, Heero's hand didn't return for a third caress but moved back towards his chest.

Heero could sense that whilst Duo appeared to be enjoying his touches, he was still hesitant. Heero hadn't had all that much experience himself in the sex side of things and was working purely on instinct. Right now, his instinct was telling him to back off otherwise he would do something to make Duo uncomfortable; and that was the last thing Heero wanted. He needed to let Duo know that he cared about the vet, that he wanted more from this relationship than a bed partner. With one more brush over Duo's nipple, Heero pressed a kiss to the nape of Duo's neck and then let the young vet out of his grasp. He stepped back a little to give Duo some room as well as a moment to gather his composure, not to mention his own.

Clawing his sanity back, Duo took a couple of deep breaths and calmed himself. The touches had been nice, welcomed even, but Duo was relieved to see that Heero didn't press the situation, that the Asian man had teased him a little but was obviously enough in control of himself to know when to stop. Duo appreciated that, it told him that whilst Heero wanted and desired him, he wasn't going to push him. Something Duo was grateful for. Finally, Duo felt enough in control of his voice to be able to speak without his vocal chords doing something silly on him. "We should go and pop Zero in the paddock for a bit."

"Hai."

Duo turned around, warm blue eyes met his gaze and he smiled. He raised a hand and cupped Heero's cheek. "Thank you," he whispered and leant in for a quick kiss. 

No further explanation was needed, Heero knew exactly what Duo meant with those two words and he softly kissed the vet back. "Let's go introduce Zero to the green grass."

***

Leaning over the paddock fence, Duo chewed on a blade of grass as he watched the animal. They had brought Zero out, Heero hosing the leg after Duo had removed the gel pad. Once the hosing was complete, Duo had re-bandaged the leg, minus the gel pad and Heero had led the horse out to the paddock that Duo had said to put him in. They both watched carefully as Heero unclipped the lead rope and let the horse go, Duo ready to catch the horse again should he show any signs of wanting to gallop around or 'play' and put strain on the already sprained joint.

Zero was a sensible animal though, he sniffed the air and gave a wuffle of delight when he was led outside and not back into the stable. As nice as the stable was, Zero was bored out of his mind in there, even if the nice man made sure he had plenty to eat and gave him carrots regularly. His eyes lit up when he spotted the paddock but refrained from 'dancing' to show his delight; instead, he blew softly through his nostrils into Heero's hair and nudged his master gently. When the lead rope was unclipped and Zero found himself loose, he simply turned around and limped a little further into the paddock, eyes gazing around taking in all the details whilst his ears flicked back and forth absorbing all the new sounds. Deciding that he liked this paddock he dropped his head to sniff at the grass. It smelt fresh and sweet; Zero began to graze.

"I think he likes the paddock," said Heero as he watched his horse.

"I'm just happy that he didn't go tearing around like an idiot and do any more damage to himself," replied Duo with a relieved sigh.

"He's a pretty sensible animal, he doesn't usually do anything to hurt himself. In case you hadn't already noticed he's rather a wuss when it comes to being hurt."

"Yeah, he doesn't look like the type to be flighty or silly and you're right about him being a baby when injured. You are one lucky guy, Heero, to own such a lovely animal."

"Arigato."

The pair continued to lean on the railing and watch the horse grazing for a little while then Heero broke the silence. "Do you still want me to take a look at your computer?"

"If it's no trouble."

"No trouble at all. I take it that the thing still isn't working?"

"Haven't been game to turn it on and see. Knowing my luck it would come up with a smiley face and laugh at me for being so illiterate," growled Duo.

Heero laughed. "Computers don't do that, Duo."

"I dunno, Heero. I'm beginning to think that I need a priest more than a computer whiz to sort this heap out."

"A priest?" Heero questioned as they walked back towards the house.

"Yeah. I swear it's possessed and needs an exorcism, either that or an introduction to a lump of four by two." [3]

Shaking his head, Heero followed the vet through the house and on into the surgery. Duo took him through to the reception area and switched on the lights.

"There it is, 'Nrobbuts'," Duo said as he indicated to the innocent looking computer.

"Nrobbuts?" questioned Heero.

"Yup, that's its name. The damn thing is so fickle that's what I called it," said Duo as he flipped on the power point switch. "It's stubborn spelt backwards."

"Aa." Heero couldn't help the smile. Only Duo would come up with something as weird as naming his computer.

"Sounded better than calling it 'Daehtihs' or 'Elohssa'."

Heero quirked an eyebrow. "Translation?"

"Shithead or asshole."

"Ahh. Okay then." Heero took a seat in front of the computer and pressed the 'on' button. The screen hummed as the hard drive sprang into life. Heero sat back and studied the script that appeared, trying to determine what the problem could be. He hit a couple of commands on the keyboard and waited as the computer did as he'd asked.

"Any ideas as to what the problem is?" asked Duo as he pulled over another chair and sat beside the accountant, curious to see what went on but not game to touch anything.

"I'm not completely sure yet but I have an inkling what it could be. I'll know in a minute once this program has finished running," replied Heero as he studied the screen. The data on the screen continued to scan through, changing from time to time as Heero typed in new commands.

"Wanna fill me in on what you're doing?"

"I'm running through the DOS and set up programs, which should give me an indication of what's going on. I've eliminated the possibility of it being a virus infection as you don't have an Internet connection on the drive; that's usually what causes computers to crash."

"Ah." Duo scratched his head, it really was all double Dutch to him. Ask him for the anatomy of a dog or cat and he'd be able to reel it off no problem; but other than the on off switch and a few basic commands he was completely computer illiterate.

"There you are," Heero mumbled as he squinted at the screen, a wide smile on his face.

"There's what?" Duo couldn't see anything other than a load of computer 'speak' and numbers on the screen.

"I think this is your problem right here, Duo." Heero pointed to a section of code on the screen. "There seems to be a file missing."

"There's more than just one file missing, Heero. The damn thing swallowed all my files!"

Heero chuckled. "No, Duo. What I mean is that somehow a major file from the master program has been deleted. Without that file the major part of the computer won't work, that's why you're getting error messages and can't access your programs." Heero thought he'd better try and keep his explanation as simple as possible, it was obvious that Duo really didn't have much of a clue when it came to electronics.

"How the hell did that happen? I swear I didn't delete anything, well, not that I'm aware of."

"It's easily done, Duo. I've done it myself by accident before now."

"Can it be fixed?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"Do you still have your discs from when you bought the computer?"

"Yes, they're back in the house."

"Good. If you can fetch them for me I can reload the missing file and then see what data you've lost. With any luck you won't have lost anything but if you have I should be able to retrieve most of it for you."

"That's great!" Duo threw his arms around Heero's neck and gave the man a warm kiss. "I'll go get the discs now. Want a coffee as well?"

"Love one," Heero replied with a grin.

"Okay, I'll be right back." Duo stood up and headed back out of the surgery to the house to fetch the discs and coffee, his mind a little easier now that he knew the computer problem wasn't as serious as he'd thought. 

~ * ~ 

tbc.......

[1] Elastoplast: This is a form of sticky bandage used here in Aussie and the UK.

[2] Tying up: When horses are in full work and their muscular system highly developed due to the regular exercise, to have that exercise suddenly stopped can cause the muscles to 'cramp' up and the animal to be almost crippled from it. Gentle exercise such as walking for a little while, or even being allowed out to graze in a paddock for a couple of hours, will prevent this from happening.

[3] Lump of 4 by 2: Again this is slang meaning the size dimensions of a piece of wood, i.e. four inches wide by two inches thick and as long as you like. :) Very useful for the persuasion of inanimate objects at times ~_^


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Duo found the discs for the computer and returned to the reception area of the surgery with coffee mugs in hand and the discs tucked into his pocket. He set the mugs down and then pulled the discs out and handed them to Heero. "Here they are. I didn't know which one you would need so I brought them all," said Duo as he sat down and watched Heero sift through the discs.

"Aa. This is the one I need," Heero said and opened up the computer's CD-ROM drive. He dropped the disc into the holder and the door closed, the computer humming away as the information loaded. Once the menu came up on the screen, Heero scrolled through and located the section with the missing file and began to download it to the computer's hard drive. He picked up his coffee mug and blew over the hot liquid, sipping carefully whilst the computer continued at its task.

"So, once you have that file reinstalled then the damn thing should work properly again?"

"In theory, yes."

"But?" Duo quirked an eyebrow.

"It isn't always that simple."

"Since when has anything in my life ever been simple?" asked Duo as he ran a hand through his bangs. "I'm beginning to regret ever buying that machine. The guy at the computer store said it was exactly what I needed and would become an asset to the practice. He even came out here and set it all up for me, including the program I use to keep all the clients details and accounts on. He didn't warn me that it was a temperamental son of a bitch with an appetite for eating all my files and information."

Heero couldn't help but laugh. "Computers aren't alive in the thinking sense, Duo. They're only a bunch of chips, circuits and wires; a series of programs designed to run in conjunction with each other and simplify tasks for us humans. They only do what we tell them too."

"Could have fooled me," growled Duo. "You ever see the movie Electric Dreams?"

"Not sure."

"It's about a guy who buys a computer to help him in his design of an earthquake proof brick. Anyway, this chick moves into the apartment above the guy and she's a musician. The guy meets her after listening to her play, the music travels through the building's ventilation shafts or something so he can't help but hear her and he decides he'd like to go out with her. The computer comes alive; don't look at me as if I'm half cocked, Heero, it's true, or at least in the movie it is. The computer's name is Edgar and it also falls for this chick and begins to compose music to try and entice her to fall in love with it, only a human can't fall in love with a bunch of wires. Edgar gets pissed at the guy for stealing his 'girl' and takes over the entire apartment. Suffice to say it's a pretty close call for the guy as he tries to get back control from the computer." Duo finished his explanation and looked at Heero who was staring back at him, a little amused. "I have it in my collection so you can watch it and see for yourself," he huffed.

"Duo," Heero began as he placed his hand on the vet's arm. "It's a movie, things like that don't happen in real life. A computer cannot take over."

"What about Hal?"

"Hal?"

"Yeah, 2001: A Space Odyssey."

Heero snorted.

"There's several others too, Heero, I have a lot of them in my collection."

"But they're all just movies, Duo."

"Not to say that it couldn't happen though," replied Duo with a grin.

"I think we seriously have to look at getting you a social life," responded Heero as he shook his head. "You're watching way too much science fiction stuff."

"You offering?" Duo cocked his head.

"Hai," Heero replied softly and leaned over to brush his lips against Duo's. "I want to date you, Duo Maxwell, I want to wine and dine you, take you out dancing, go for long walks on the beach, go riding through the bush and camp out under the stars. I want to romance you, treat you like a king and make you fall in love with me." Heero suddenly stopped and lowered his eyes realizing what he'd said. His cheeks colored and he hid his face. _What the hell must Duo think of him?_

Duo, on the contrary, was sitting there totally stunned. He already knew Heero wanted to date him… Hell, they'd admitted their orientations and mutual attraction to each other; but Duo didn't realize the true depths of Heero's interest in him until now. Whilst his brain was busy trying to process the information, his heart was leaping wildly in his chest. He swallowed and cleared his throat. He could tell from Heero's body language that the Asian man was uncomfortable with his speech and so Duo tried to find the right words and actions to reassure the man that he hadn't done anything wrong. "Heero..." he began hesitantly. "That would have to be one of the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me. I'm happy to be courted by you, to go out and do things together as a couple and discover all about each other; only, can we skip the wine bit? I have no objection to the dine part but I really don't drink." Duo resorted to a touch of humor to try and ease the tension that had surfaced between them.

It worked.

Heero gave a low chuckle and raised his eyes to meet Duo's sparkling violet, his hand cupped the cheek and he spoke softly. "Arigato, Duo. You really are an incredible person." He leaned forward and kissed the vet deeply. "Now I had better get back to this machine and sort out the files before it tries to take over your practice," he said with amusement.

"Be my guest and if it tries anything dirty, remind it about a certain soldering iron and the off switch."

***

Heero continued to work on the computer, tracing the files and folders, putting things back where they belonged and modifying a few things whilst he was at it. Duo left him to it, he didn't understand what Heero was doing and personally, he didn't want to know either. It all looked too confusing to him. He went back to the house to prepare the food for the evening meal; chopping up the chicken and setting everything ready so all he would have to do after the evening consults would be to turn on the stove. With the dinner preparations out of the way, Duo went out to the paddock and brought Zero back in. He'd cleaned the stable out and put the horse's feed in ready before fetching the horse. Zero allowed himself to be caught quite easily. Duo thought he may have had a little trouble seeing as how Zero hadn't been out in the paddock for a few days; horses were generally reluctant to return to confinement after spending some time in freedom. 

He made sure to take a couple of carrots with him to be safe.

It was as if Zero could smell the carrots a mile away. As soon as Duo entered the paddock the horse began to limp towards him, giving low whinnies of delight and crunching happily on the orange treat whilst Duo clipped the lead rope to the halter. "Come on, you. Time to have your leg hosed and treated then you can have your dinner." Duo proceeded to lead the animal towards the paddock gate at a slow pace. Zero was walking a little better but it would be a while before he was completely sound again. Duo was pleased with Zero's response to the treatment. It looked as if surgery would be avoided completely if he continued to recuperate at this rate. As long as the horse didn't do anything silly to aggravate the condition then Duo could see no reason for him not to make a full recovery.

Duo placed the horse in the crush and fetched the hose. Removing the bandage he checked the leg, the swelling had gone down by a good half of what it had been; a sure sign that things were on the mend. Turning on the hose he stood there and held it whilst the cool water flowed steadily over the limb.

Zero gave a contented sigh and lowered his head, ears drooping slightly as he savored the cold water on his leg. It really did make him feel better.

Duo gave a soft laugh and tugged gently at one gray ear. "You sure are a big baby. No one would ever think you were a stallion by the way you act."

Zero nuzzled at the leg of Duo's slacks and blew softly through his nostrils.

"You're enjoying all this attention, aren't you? Might as well make the most of it while you can, Zero. Looks like you're going to make a full recovery though and you should be out there soon enough showing them all just how good you are," Duo said softly to the animal as he continued to caress the ear and then pat the horse's neck. "Next time you jump, make sure you pick your legs up, won't you? I really don't fancy seeing you fall and hurt yourself again, you're too nice an animal to have something bad happen to you."

Zero began to nibble gently at the leg of Duo's slacks, grabbing the fabric between his teeth and pulling at it.

"Hey!" admonished Duo as he tried to get his leg back from the persistent tugging. "It's bad enough with the girls all trying to get my pants off me without a horse doing it as well!"

Zero just ignored the rebuff and continued with his game of trying to pull at the slacks with his teeth.

"Behave yourself, Zero! I'll have you know I'm not that kind of guy. Besides, you're cute and all and no offense but I much prefer your master, he's more my type. I think maybe we should look at finding you a nice filly to shack up with, as much as I like you, Zero, this isn't my scene," chuckled Duo as he succeeded in getting his trouser leg back from the horse.

Liquid brown eyes gazed at him.

"Awww... shit. Do you have to pull the puppy eyes on me? You're a horse, not a dog. Okay, I surrender! I'll get you another carrot for being a good boy." Duo removed the hose and went to turn it off, detouring to the feed shed on his return with a carrot. Zero wuffled happily at him and greedily ate the carrot while Duo toweled off the leg. "Time to move to the next stage of treatment, my son," said Duo as he straightened and went into the small room to the side. He returned a moment later with a bottle, shaking it vigorously.

The horse watched with mild interest.

Duo opened the lid and squeezed some of the thick liquid out into the palm of his hand then set the bottle to the side. "This should help you a bit, Zero," he said as he started to rub the liniment along the cannon bone and over the fetlock joint, making sure to work it well into the muscle and flesh. Once he was satisfied that the liniment was completely absorbed by the skin, so Duo fetched another bandage and rebound the leg before leading Zero back into his stable and after another carrot for being a good boy, Duo left the horse in peace to eat his dinner and get himself ready for evening consults.

Returning to the house he was surprised not to see Heero there, he assumed that the man must still be working on the computer. Changing his slacks for a pair of jeans as Zero's slobber was on the leg of his current ones and he hadn't done his ironing yet, Duo quickly tidied up his hair and headed back to the small surgery. It was nearly time to open up for the evening consults.

***

Heero had continued to work on the computer whist Duo was gone. He'd managed to reinstall the missing file, found another one that had somehow modified itself and sorted that one out, then he'd set about locating the missing files and folders, managing to recover nearly all of them and putting them all back into their proper places. He'd taken a good look at the entire set of the system and made a few modifications; little things that would make the program run faster and also make it easier for Duo to operate.

So caught up in his task, he hadn't noticed how the time had flown by. He looked up when he saw Duo leaning against the door jamb. "Hey," he said softly.

"Hey," replied Duo as he shoved off the door frame and ambled over. "You managed to get it all sorted out?"

"Hai. I also recovered pretty much all the missing data too and I've popped it all back where it should be. I hope you don't mind but I modified the program a little so it runs quicker and is easier to operate. I also transferred all the information from the files you had sitting there..." Heero nodded to the stack of paperwork Duo had waiting to be loaded onto the computer. "...onto the program. I've also put all the information into the accounting program so your books are up to date and your receipts just need to be printed out for your own records. I hope that was okay?" Heero's voice took on a slightly uncertain tone. He really should have asked before going into Duo's books like that, he wasn't sure how the vet would react to him nosing around in his financial affairs, not that Heero had really been taking any notice, they were simply figures to him and he did with them what he did best... accounted for them.

"You loaded all that paperwork onto the system?" Duo asked his eyes going wide.

Heero nodded.

"And updated the books as well as got all the receipts ready to print?"

Heero nodded again. "Oh, I also backed up your hard drive so if it crashes again you will retain all your information."

"Well, shit!"

Heero suddenly found himself with a lap full of grateful vet. Arms wound themselves around his neck and his mouth was suddenly kidnapped by a pair of warm, sensuous lips and a tongue that seemed intent on cleaning his tonsils. 

Not that Heero minded.

Nope, not in the least.

Breaking the kiss for air, Duo nuzzled against the skin of Heero's neck as Heero's hand rubbed circles against his back. "I don't know how to thank you, Heero. You have no idea how much I was dreading doing the paperwork on that demon. Now I don't have to, you've very kindly done it all for me."

"You don't have to thank me, Duo. It was my pleasure. After everything that you've done for me this seems small in comparison, but I was and am happy to do it for you." Heero placed a kiss to the tip of Duo's nose.

Just as Duo was about to seal his lips to Heero's again there came a knocking at the surgery door. Duo pulled away and glanced at the clock. "Fuck! I'm late opening up for evening consults," he said as he bounded out of Heero's lap and grabbed his white coat from the back of the door.

"Would you like some help this evening, Duo?" Heero asked as the vet raced into the reception's waiting room and went to open the door. 

"If you don't mind, Heero, that would be great," replied Duo as he unlocked and opened the door to admit a client. He went on to apologize for his lateness at opening the door to the client before taking the client through to the consulting room and beginning the first of what was to be a very busy evening.

Heero quickly got into the swing of things, despite only being able to use one arm. As each client arrived so he took their name and looked them up on the computer data base, then he retrieved their file from Duo's filing cabinets and sat it on the small open hatch for Duo to pick up when he was ready to see the client. As each consult was finished, so Duo would hand Heero back the file and Heero would flip it open to see what the result of the consult was and the charges. The client would then either pay the bill and Heero would issue them a receipt and record the details on the computer or he would give them the account and still record the details, including the account number they had been issued with and the amount outstanding on the bill.

Heero found himself enjoying the work. It stimulated his mind and there wasn't anything hard about it, it was simply a case of being organized, and Heero liked to be organized. He smiled at the young girls, charmed the older ladies and sympathized with the male population who didn't want to appear weak or soft for caring about their pet enough to bring it in to see the vet.

At last the flow of clients ceased and Heero glanced at the clock. It was ten after seven and only one client remained in the waiting room; a young girl who sat cuddling a very sick looking kitten. Duo stepped back out of the consulting room with the elderly gentleman who'd brought his dog in for a check up and replacement of arthritis tablets.

"Continue to give him one in the morning and one at night, Mr. Kline. There isn't really much more we can do for him other than keep up with the tablets," said Duo as he handed Heero the file.

"Thank you, young man. I'm afraid that Bob here is starting to wear out, bit like myself," chuckled Mr. Kline.

"You have years in you yet, Mr. Kline," replied Duo with a smile and a hand to the old man's shoulder. "And so does Bob." Duo bent and ruffled the Border collie's ears. The dog wagged its tail.

"Thank you again," smiled the elderly gentleman. "Now, what do I owe you?"

"That will be six dollars, Mr. Kline. Heero here will look after you, I need to see this last patient," Duo turned and waving off anything further, called the young girl and the kitten through.

Mr. Kline shook his head and turned to face Heero. "Now, tell me properly, how much do I owe you?"

Heero opened the file and noted Duo's neat handwriting. "As Doctor Maxwell said, six dollars, Mr. Kline."

"But that can't be right. The consultation is twenty dollars, it say's so here on the notice of charges."

"There is no charge for the consultation, Mr. Kline, only the tablets," replied Heero.

"I don't know, this young man is too kind for his own good," muttered Mr. Kline as he reached for his wallet and extracted the money. "I know I'm only a pensioner but I wish he would take more than just the payment for the tablets."

"It's payment enough to see the dog enjoying his later years, I'd say," replied Heero as he wrote out the receipt.

"He's certainly a good and kind young man," said the gentleman. "I haven't seen you here before, son. You just started working here?"

"Not really. I'm..." Now how exactly was Heero going to explain his connection with Duo? He didn't want to say 'boyfriend' as he knew how many people reacted to two men being together so he opted to play it safe. "I'm a friend of his. He's treating my horse and I offered to sort out his computer problems for him."

"Ahh." The elderly man gave him a wink. He wasn't fooled for one minute. He'd picked up on the soft tone in Heero's voice when he spoke of the vet and the way his eyes had looked when the vet had been speaking to them both. Mr. Kline leaned over as he took the receipt and lowered his voice. "He's one in a million, son. Don't worry, I'm not a gossip monger. Good luck to you both."

Heero simply stared, too stunned to say anything for a moment, then he managed to find his voice. "Thank you," he whispered.

Mr. Kline nodded and left, the old dog trotting a little stiffly beside him.

"Heero? Could you possibly come in here and give me a hand for a moment, please?"

Heero stood up and went to the consulting room, a smile tugging at his lips.

***

The small kitten sat shivering on the consulting room table, the young girl stood to the side watching Duo intently. Heero could tell by her wide eyes that she was worried about her pet, too worried to be of any assistance to Duo. "What would you like me to do, Doctor Maxwell?"

The kitten, it turned out, was suffering from Feline Enteritis, or cat 'flu; a very serious illness in cats and kittens. Heero held the tiny animal whilst Duo cleaned away the gunk that had gathered around the small kitten's eyes and nose. Once that was done, Duo gave the animal a shot of antibiotic and another injection of vitamins. With the treatment completed, Duo turned to the young girl. 

"I'm afraid that Fluffy here has what we call cat 'flu, it's a very serious disease which is usually prevented by giving the animal a vaccination. I take it that Fluffy hasn't had her shots?"

"No," whispered the girl. "I forgot all about them."

"I'll need to keep her here at the hospital for a few days as she's going to need more injections as well as her face keeping clean. I won't lie to you, it's very serious but fortunately the drugs we use are usually enough to fight off the disease. There is still a risk though that we may lose her. It all depends on exactly how strong the bug is that's making her sick."

"Okay. I want you to do what you can for her, Mr. Vet."

"I'll do my best. Now, if you go back out with Heero here and make sure he has all your details, I'll go make Fluffy comfortable in the cat kennels. Heero will give you one of my cards with the surgery 'phone number on it. I want you to give me a call, say around eleven tomorrow and we should be able to let you know how Fluffy is doing."

"Thanks, Mr. Vet," said the girl and then followed Heero back out to the reception area.

Duo took the kitten to the kennels and made sure she was comfortable. He placed a litter tray in the kennel and a bowl of fresh, clean water as well as a soft blanket. He checked the thermostat controls, making sure that the kennels weren't too hot or too cold for the animal before going back out to see Heero closing and locking the door.

"How's the kitten?" Heero asked as he turned around and faced the vet.

"It's not looking too good, I'm afraid. Whilst the drugs will help a lot, it depends on how long the cat has been sick for and how much control the disease has on her system. All we can really do is keep up the treatment and wait and see." Duo ran a tired hand through his bangs. "Hungry?"

"Starved."

"Let's go eat just as soon as I've finished cleaning up."

"I'll help you," replied Heero and taking Duo's hand he led them both back to the consulting room.

While Duo swept the floor, Heero wiped the table down and collected all the used instruments together. Duo popped them into the autoclave and turned the machine on.

"All the patients details have been loaded into the computer," said Heero as they returned to the reception area. "I've also put all the payments into the cash box. I hope that was okay."

"Heero, you're a life saver. I don't know what I would have done without you this evening. Thank you."

"It was my pleasure, Duo. Actually, I kind of enjoyed it," admitted Heero sheepishly.

Duo laughed. "Come on, we have a dinner date and I know I'm hungry enough to eat a horse."

"As long as it isn't Zero you're planning on serving up," quipped Heero.

Duo placed his hands over his heart and took on a horrified look. "Heero! You mortally wound me by even suggesting I would do such a thing. Besides, he'd be too tough, you really need them as yearlings to be served up, meat's much more tender," Duo gave Heero a wink.

Heero pulled a face. "Yuk!"

Still snickering, Duo led the way out of the surgery and back to the house to start cooking dinner.

***

Sitting at the table with a bowl of pasta and chicken in front of him, Heero found it much easier to eat, nothing to cut up this time. The wine complimented the meal even if it was non alcoholic and Heero found himself really relaxing. They chatted comfortably over dinner, Heero telling Duo about his conversation with Mr. Browning as well as the accountancy board. Duo asked appropriate questions which Heero did his best to answer.

"So, what are you planning on doing now, Heero? It's obviously going to take a while for the wheels of justice to turn fully and knowing what government departments are like it could take months before you hear anything." Duo stood up and took their dirty dishes to the sink and picked up the scones he's placed on the bench when he'd returned from the Fenwick farm. Placing the scones on the table he fetched a couple of knives, the jam and butter. "Sorry, I don't have any cream," he apologized.

"I didn't know you baked."

"I don't. These were given to me by Mrs. Fenwick. I was out at their farm earlier today treating a cow for mastitis, she was baking and kindly gave me these to bring home. I thought they would be a nice dessert." Duo picked up one of the scones and broke it in half before spreading a liberal amount of butter and jam on it and passing it to Heero.

"Arigato."

Duo repeated the performance to another scone and bit into the light, fluffy treat. "Mmm.. Nice."

"I agree," replied Heero as he ate his own scone. "I went through the situations vacant column in the local paper and I have a job interview tomorrow."

"That's great, Heero. What is it?"

"Accounting still, with a company in the next village over from where I live. Duo?"

"Yes?" Duo looked up seeing the question in Heero's eyes.

"This interview... I'm going to need to wear a shirt and tie for it but..." Heero looked pointedly at the sling.

"Ah. You're gonna need some help with the tie bit?"

Heero nodded.

"Look, would it be too forward of me if I suggested you spend the night here, Heero? That way I can help you with the shirt and tie and make sure you look presentable for the interview."

"Would you mind?"

"I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to do it, Heero. I don't mind helping you out in the least."

"Arigato, that would be a big help."

"No problem. Did you bring your clothes for the interview with you?"

"No. I didn't want you to think I was being presumptuous. I can go back home and pick them up after I help you clean up from dinner."

"I'll come with you if that's okay?" Duo didn't know if Heero would like some company or not but he had to ask. Besides, he was curious to see where Heero lived and get a little more insight into the man that was slowly captivating him.

"That would be nice," replied Heero.

"Great." Duo finished eating his scone and proceeded to wash up, Heero helping him as much as his one handedness would allow. With the kitchen tidy so the pair of them headed out to the car, Duo checking he had his pager and cell phone with him just in case. They took Heero's car, mainly because it had all Duo's drugs in the trunk and if he did get a call out he would need them and Duo drove, following Heero's instructions.

Twenty minutes later they were pulling into the driveway of Heero's home. Even though it was dark, Duo could still make out the house structure from the head lights of the car as well as the moonlight. He pulled up and cut the engine, both of them getting out and walking towards the front door where Heero slipped the key in the lock and opened up the house. He motioned for Duo to step inside and followed the long haired vet in, switching on the light as he did so.

"Nice place," said Duo softly.

"It's small, more like a cottage really, but it's big enough for me," replied Heero as he walked through towards his bedroom. "Would you like a coffee or something whilst we're here?"

"No, but thanks anyway." Duo followed Heero towards the bedroom and paused in the doorway. He didn't venture inside, this was after all Heero's room and he hadn't been invited in. He didn't think it would make that much difference to Heero if he stepped inside or not, but Duo respected another's privacy and so remembered his manners and politely waited at the door.

"You can come in if you wish," said Heero with a smile and turned to his wardrobe to remove a shirt, tie and slacks. He fetched a small overnight bag from under the bed and tossed it onto the quilt along with the garments. He rummaged in the drawers and found a fresh pair of boxers, clean socks and pajamas, tossing them to the bed as well. Then came the task of trying to fold them and put them in the bag.

"Here, let me help," chuckled Duo as it became painfully obvious that Heero couldn't accomplish the task properly by himself.

"Thanks." Heero let Duo fold his clothes and pop them in the bag whilst he fetched his shoes, toothbrush and electric shaver. "I think that's everything. Oh, hang on, almost forgot." Heero went to the small filing cabinet that sat by the side of the bed and removed a file. "Nearly forgot the most important thing, my qualifications and resume."

"Sure you have everything now?" Duo asked as he picked up the bag.

"Just need to grab the address from the table in the lounge room and my pills from the kitchen then I'm all set," replied Heero as he walked back out of the bedroom, Duo right behind him. With the last of the items safely in the bag, the pair went back out to the car and headed home to Duo's.

***

Once back at Duo's property, Heero took his bag inside and dropped it in the room he'd used the last time he'd stayed with the vet. Duo informed him that he was going to the surgery to check on the little kitten and Heero went with him. The small cat was curled up in the blanket looking very sorry for herself. Duo carefully lifted her out of the kennel and began to clean away the mucus that had once more accumulated around her eyes and nose.

"Poor thing," murmured Heero as he gently stroked the animal.

"Yeah, cat 'flu isn't nice at all. It can be very hard to cure."

"I'd hate to see her die," said Heero softly.

"Hopefully she won't," replied Duo. "At least the antibiotics will help; the vitamins should also be of assistance to her whilst she's not eating. Other than that all we can do is try to keep her as warm and comfortable as possible." Duo finished cleaning the kitten and popped her back into the kennel after repeating the injection. "We will know in the morning if we're going to be lucky or not."

They returned to the house and Duo stretched and yawned. "I think I will take my shower and be heading to bed shortly."

"That sounds like a good idea," replied Heero as he also yawned. "I'll pop the kettle on for cocoa while you shower if you like."

"Thanks, Heero." Duo reached forwards and stole a kiss before going to collect his things for his shower. Heero meanwhile went through to the kitchen and set about making the cocoa. Once the drinks were done he went back through to the guest room and sorted out his own things for his shower.

"Shower's free!"

"Arigato. Cocoa's made and in the kitchen." Heero picked up his stuff and went into the bathroom to take his shower.

With both of them showered they sat together in the lounge room and watched the late night news edition, sipping on their hot drinks. Heero was feeling decidedly warm and comfortable leaning against Duo and his eyes began to droop.

"Hey, sleepy head. Don't get falling asleep there, I don't think I could carry you through to the bedroom," chuckled Duo.

"Not falling asleep, just nice and comfortable," murmured Heero as he snuggled closer.

Duo took Heero's empty mug off him and set it on the coffee table with his own; leaning back again he pulled Heero into his arms and began to nuzzle at the accountant's throat. "Thanks for sorting out the computer, Heero."

"No need for thanks."

"And for helping me out this evening by running the reception area for me." Duo began to feather kisses along Heero's throat, his hands running along Heero's sides and sending shivers of excitement along Heero's spine.

Heero's hand decided to join in with the teasing and slid along the bare torso of Duo. Both of them wore only pajama bottoms and no top, leaving the skin of their chests open to the air. Locating a nipple, Heero began to circle it, simply teasing the other man.

Duo's breath hitched slightly and a low moan escaped his throat. He decided to do a little teasing of his own and brought one hand around to ghost across Heero's chest, also finding a nipple and tormenting it with feather touches.

The pair continued to explore each other's chests, toying with sensitive nipples and teasing the nubs to complete hardness. Duo could feel himself responding to Heero's caresses and ached for something more. Heero wasn't much better off; his cock was slowly hardening and very shortly would be tenting his pajamas. Unsure of what to do, Duo carefully let his hand drift lower, across rippling stomach muscles and then to Heero's thigh where he gently rubbed up and down, each time moving a little closer to the juncture of Heero's legs.

Heero's breathing rate had increased, along with his heart rate. He desperately wanted Duo to touch him there, but he wasn't going to push it. He tried to keep himself as calm as possible and let Duo set the pace. Whatever Duo wanted to do or how far the young vet wanted to take this was entirely up to him. Heero wasn't about to complain. He let his own hand slip down to rest upon the vet's hip, rubbing his thumb gently in circles over the cloth covered bone.

With his excitement mounting, Duo threw caution to the winds. He longed to touch Heero, the trust and restraint Heero had shown combined with Heero's overall manner towards him only cemented Duo's faith in the young rider; that Heero wanted more from this relationship than simply sex. Duo moved on instinct. His hand gently worked its way up Heero's thigh to the man's groin. Duo's eyes peeked down and a small moan escaped his lips as he saw the evidence of Heero's desire pushing the pajama fabric out. He closed his eyes and buried his face against Heero's neck as he let his hand wander up to that 'tent'. His fingers found the stiffness beneath the cloth and tentatively began to explore it, running up from base to tip and back again.

"Aaa..." moaned Heero softly as his cock was explored. It was all he could do not to thrust his need into Duo's hand. When Duo's fingers grazed over his sac, he groaned. "Nice," he ground out, wanting to let Duo know that the touch was welcomed.

Duo's heart was pounding in his chest as his fingers curled themselves around Heero's length and gently stroked. Despite the cloth barrier, Heero felt hot and heavy in his hand, Duo liked the feeling.

Carefully Heero brought his own hand across from Duo's hip to the vet's groin, pleased to feel the answering hardness under his fingertips. The vet's hips thrust slightly and Heero couldn't help himself, he wrapped his own hand around Duo's imprisoned cock and began to stroke the long haired man.

They continued to cuddle into each other, hands busily pleasuring as each one gave and took, unsure of just how far to take this. The clock struck the hour and jolted Duo back from his pleasure filled trance. Reluctantly he withdrew his hand from Heero's groin and brought it around Heero's back, kissing at Heero's throat and murmuring softly. "I need to go to bed, Heero."

Realizing that Duo was becoming a little uncomfortable, Heero released Duo's cock and pushed back a bit, raising his head a touch and taking Duo's lips in a sweet kiss. Their eyes locked, both stormy with need and desire, but also trust was evident. "I think we should both go to bed before we do something we may regret. But, thank you Duo. I did enjoy that." 

Duo blushed and hid his eyes. "I... I did too. I think if we keep going much longer then I won't be able to stop. It's not that I don't want to, Heero... I'm just not quite..."

"Hush. You do not need to explain anything to me, Duo. We will go at your pace, whatever you feel comfortable with. I want you to know that I'm in this relationship because I care for you, Duo, not just for sex. I don't care if we never experiment, I'm quite happy with whatever you will give me."

"Thank you, Heero; not just for stopping but for understanding." Duo leant close and kissed Heero deeply, showing the dark haired man the depths of his appreciation. "Let's go to bed, you have an interview tomorrow and I have my usual surgery."

They stood up and Heero waited whilst Duo checked that everywhere was locked up for the night. Walking down the hall way, hand in hand, they stopped outside Heero's bedroom door and kissed again.

"Good night, Duo," Heero breathed softly.

"Night, Heero," Duo returned in a husky tone that made Heero's knees go weak.

They separated and each went to their own beds to sleep... After taking care of a couple of minor 'problems'.

~ * ~ 

tbc....


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Morning came with a burst of sunlight and sounds of bird song. Duo rolled over and blinked lazily, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight that penetrated his room. He loved waking up to the sounds of nature and not the rumble of traffic or noise of human life on the streets. He'd missed the country life when his father had died and he'd been forced to live in the city, he'd missed it while studying for his degree; but he'd promised himself that once he graduated he would set up practice in the country. That one goal had managed to sustain him through the many hours of study, the despair when it all seemed too overwhelming and the anguish at losing his first patient when on the practical run of his degree.

Smiling to himself, Duo lifted the covers back and swung his legs out over the side of the bed. He paused for a moment, the thoughts still racing through his head. Many had said he was mad for sinking his money into a practice in a small country town. With his talents he'd be much better off in a city practice, or so they told him; but Duo was no fool. He did his research, checked on the various country towns, noting the populations, the location of current established practices and the number and type of animals in the districts before narrowing his choices down to three possible places. Of the three, the little town of Salsbury offered him the best proposition for a successful practice. 

The place he now lived in had been on the market at the right price, needing some renovation work and the surgery building on the front, but it hadn't deterred Duo. He had enough to put down a sizable deposit and still leave enough over to have the surgery built. He'd done some locum work at a city practice whilst the surgery was being built, gaining valuable experience in handling clients as well as adding to his bank balance and sustaining him whilst his own practice was being built. The renovations to the place hadn't been too big a task and Duo managed to complete most of them by himself, along with a little help from a couple of his college friends. After three months of work on the house and six months to build the surgery, Duo was able to open the practice officially.

The business was still in its fledgling stages, having only been up and running for the past twelve months but the clientele was steadily building. Duo's compassion and love of his job preceding him and many brought their animals to him because he took the time to get to know the people and their pets. Put simply, he cared; and that meant a lot in small country towns. Whilst he was by no means getting rich from his profession, Duo was making enough to meet his monthly mortgage and bills as well as feed himself. More importantly though, Duo was happy.

He hadn't thought his life could get any better until that fateful day of the Salsbury Agricultural show when a gray horse and his charming rider had literally fallen into his life. Duo gave a grin with the knowledge that Heero was sleeping in his guest room. He knew he was falling and falling hard for Heero, the Asian man was too charming for his own good, and yet there was a childlike innocence about Heero as well, something about him that radiated serenity and trust.

He was the first person that Duo had truly felt comfortable with.

Stretching and yawning, feeling the joints pop, Duo padded over to the door and slipped out, heading for the bathroom to relieve himself and wash up. Once finished in the bathroom he returned to his bedroom and dressed in a loose, cotton, button down shirt and jeans. "I really must do some ironing today," he muttered to his reflection as he brushed his long, chestnut mane of hair. He hated ironing but it was an evil that had to be dealt with. Needless to say, Duo waited until he had practically nothing left in his wardrobe to wear before attacking the pile that inevitably built up until it almost buried him. With his hair now neatly braided, Duo quickly made his bed and left his bedroom, pausing briefly at Heero's door on his way to the kitchen. All he could hear was the gentle sound of soft snoring and Duo smiled to himself. He popped the kettle on to boil and fetched the two familiar mugs from the cupboard. Instant coffee and sugar were placed in the mugs and Duo fetched the milk. He hummed softly to himself as he went about the morning ritual of making his coffee. When the kettle boiled he poured the hot water into the mugs and stirred them before adding the milk. Usually he would take his coffee and head out to the stable block to feed Zero, then return and have his own breakfast. After that he'd go back to the stables and clean out Zero's stall before treating the horse and then returning to the house to tidy up, put something out to thaw for dinner and then open up for morning consults. Today though his routine was to be varied a little and Duo smiled as he picked up Heero's coffee and went to wake the other man.

He paused at the door again, listening intently just in case Heero had woken. Nothing but the snoring greeted his ears. Carefully, Duo opened the door and stepped inside. His face broke into a wide grin. Heero was sprawled in the bed, flat on his back with his injured arm cradled to his chest. Heero's left arm was slung out at right angles to his body, the blankets kicked down and only the sheet covering him to the waist. The chocolate hair was tousled and gentle snores came from Heero's mouth. Duo set the coffee down on the bedside table and leaned over the sleeping man. He hesitated for a moment and then took the plunge. Softly he brought his lips to Heero's and brushed them across, pulling back quickly to see what would happen. Heero murmured quietly and his tongue darted out to lick over his lips. Duo closed the gap again, this time the kiss was more intense. His lips connected and moved softly over Heero's, tongue stroking across Heero's bottom lip. Just as Duo began to pull away so those lips parted and Heero's tongue came forth to tangle with Duo's.

Realizing he'd been caught out, Duo moaned into the kiss before managing to pull away. A pair of sleepy cobalt eyes followed him. "Morning, Heero," said Duo softly as he picked up the mug of coffee and offered it to the waking man.

"I couldn't think of a better way to be woken up," replied Heero as he shoved himself into a sitting position. "Much nicer than the screaming of the alarm clock." Heero took the coffee and blew across the top to try and cool the hot drink. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Did you sleep well?" Duo asked as he sat himself down on the edge of the bed.

"Like a log. What about you?"

"Mmmm... Slept like a baby. What time is your interview?"

"Eleven. I'll need to leave here around tenish to make sure I get there on time. What time is it now?"

Duo glanced at his watch. "Seven fifteen. You've got plenty of time. Look, I'll pop down and feed Zero while you get dressed, it won't take long and then I'll get us breakfast once he's fed. After that I need to check on the kitten before I treat Zero's leg and clean out his stable. He can go back out into the paddock again today; it will do him the world of good. By that stage it should be time for you to start getting ready. I'll give you a hand before I go and open up for morning consults."

Heero nodded, Duo's little monologue making him smile. Being an organized person himself, he appreciated Duo's methods. "Okay. I'll give you a hand though with the kitten and Zero's leg, as well as cleaning his stable."

"That's fine with me. Poached eggs okay for breakfast?"

"That would be lovely, Duo." Heero reached out and placed his mug back on the side table before bringing his hand to Duo's cheek and leaning forth to steal a kiss. "You spoil me," he murmured as he broke their lip lock.

"You deserve to be spoilt," whispered Duo as he rubbed his nose against Heero's.

"I think I'm falling in love with you, Duo Maxwell," Heero admitted rather shyly.

Duo gave him a warm smile. "I think I might be falling for you too, Heero Yuy. You certainly know how to charm a man."

Closing his eyes, Heero sealed their lips once more, this time the kiss was tender, putting all his heart and soul into it in an attempt to show Duo how much he cared. 

"Better go now," panted Duo. "I don't think Zero would appreciate being kept waiting for his breakfast."

"No, he wouldn't," replied Heero and gave Duo's backside a light swat as the vet stood up.

"Hey! None of that now, Mr. Yuy. I'll have you know I'm a respectable man."

"I never thought of you as anything less," smirked Heero.

"You wait, Heero. I'll get you back," grinned Duo as he left the bedroom.

"Of that I have no doubt," called Heero after the retreating braid. All he got in return was a chuckle of laughter as Duo went to feed the horse.

***

By the time Duo returned, Heero was washed and dressed in a pair of jeans and T-shirt. With his arm no longer strapped to his body it was a little easier to dress himself, although he knew without a doubt that he wouldn't be able to manage a button down shirt or tie just yet. He'd taken his pills and set up the plates and pan for their breakfast. Duo smiled and thanked him before setting about the task of cooking for them both. They chatted comfortably about nothing much over their breakfast, Duo teasing Heero about having to have his food cut up for him and Heero drawing the line at Duo 'feeding' him.

With breakfast out of the way the next stop was the surgery and the sick kitten. Heero was edgy as they opened up the building and went inside. He wasn't too sure what to expect and could only hope that Fluffy's immune system had rallied and with the antibiotics she was managing to fight the disease. He really didn't want to go inside the kennel lest the kitten had lost her battle and was grateful when Duo didn't insist that he follow. 

Duo opened the kennel door and gently lifted the small kitten out. At first he wasn't too sure himself if she was still alive or not. Huddled in the corner of her kennel she hadn't moved at all. Her body was still warm though and her little heart beating away, which was definitely a good sign. "It's okay, Heero. You can come in, Fluffy is still with us."

Heero gave a sigh of relief and entered the kennels. "Sorry," he said softly to Duo.

"What for, Heero? There's no shame in caring, you know." Duo smiled at Heero. It really was sweet how he felt about animals in general, something that endeared him to Duo even more. "Can you bring her through to the consult room for me? I need to get the antibiotic injection as well as the vitamins."

"Sure." Heero carefully took the little kitten and carried her through to the consult room where he continued to cuddle her whilst Duo fetched the things he would need. It didn't take long to clean the cat up and give her the needles and Heero found himself playing nursemaid once more while Duo cleaned out the cat kennel and replaced the water bowl, bedding and litter tray.

"I'll try giving her a little food later on," stated Duo as he washed his hands once he'd finished with the cat. "If she eats anything then there's every chance she will make a full recovery. Now, let’s go and see to that horse of yours."

"Duo, you're amazing," said Heero softly as he also washed his free hand and followed the vet back out and towards the stable block.

Zero greeted them both with wuffles of delight, instantly nosing their pockets for treats.

"Sorry, boy, you'll have to wait until after your treatment for carrots," stated Duo as he went to fetch the liniment and a fresh bandage. 

Heero, meanwhile, clipped the leadrope to the halter and led Zero out to the crush, the horse following docilely beside him. Zero knew the routine now and walked calmly into the crush and stood whilst Heero secured the front and back 'gates' on it. With the horse secure so Heero fetched the hose pipe and waited for Duo to return. He couldn't undo the bandage himself with only one hand so he had no choice but to wait for the vet.

Duo wasn't long, returning with a bandage and bottle which he set on the small bench to the side. Then he unwrapped the leg and felt over the tendons and ligaments.

"The swelling has gone down a lot," remarked Heero. It had been a while since he'd seen the leg un-bandaged

"Yes, it has. I'm very pleased with the response to the treatment, at this rate I'd say Zero is going to make a full recovery and be back on the circuit within no time," replied Duo as he sat back on his heels and surveyed the leg.

"What's in the bottle?" asked Heero, noting that Duo hadn't removed a gel pad nor brought another one out.

"Liniment. Want to hose the leg for me?"

"Sure." Heero directed the stream of water over Zero's leg when Duo turned on the tap. "What's the liniment do?"

"It will penetrate into the skin and help the tendons, ligaments and muscles to heal. It's a type of anti inflammatory as well as having healing properties in it. I'm not completely sure how it works, neither is the manufacturer," chuckled Duo. "But it does work."

"Aa." Heero didn't press the issue, he knew enough not to question something that worked. If it helped Zero's leg to heal and meant that he would be able to compete again then that was fine with Heero. He continued to hose the leg, tugging lightly at Zero's forelock as he did so. Then he noticed Duo disappearing into Zero's stable with the manure bucket and poop scoop. "I'll give you a hand to do that, Duo," he called out, feeling guilty that Duo was doing all the cleaning up after his horse.

Duo stuck his head out the stable door. "And just how, pray tell, are you going to clean the stable with only one arm?"

"Errr..."

"Exactly. Now be a good boy, shut up and finish hosing Zero's leg," Duo replied sweetly.

"But..."

"Look, if it will make you feel any better I'll leave you the water bucket to scrub out and refill."

"Thanks." Heero really did feel bad about Duo doing all the work in looking after his horse but in reality there wasn't a whole lot that Heero could do about it. At least he had the comfort of being able to do a little bit, even if it was only the water bucket.

Duo hummed to himself as he cleaned the stable, scooping the manure into the holder and shaking the sawdust out before emptying the left behind manure into the bucket. Once he was done he took the bucket outside and dumped it on the future vegetable patch before returning to rake the stable. Picking up the water bucket, he emptied it out and set it down with a scrubbing brush then straightened his back and looked at Heero. "That should do for his leg, Heero. I've emptied out the bucket so it's all set to be cleaned and refilled. Leave it when it's done and I'll pop it back in the stable," said Duo as he walked across to the crush.

"Okay," replied Heero and moved towards where the bucket sat.

Duo picked up the towel from the bench and began to dry off Zero's leg. He was really pleased with the horse's recovery, so many times he'd seen a good animal unable to fulfill its potential due to a tendon or ligament strain. Zero had been really lucky, given the type of fall he'd had, by rights he should have broken his leg. Duo could only thank the powers that be that the horse hadn't. If he had then there really was only one outcome... A bullet.

With the leg dried off, Duo fetched the liniment and began to rub it into the skin, covering the cannon bone and fetlock joint, working it in as best he could. 

Heero returned and wrinkled up his nose. "Strong," he said as he caught a whiff of the liniment.

"Ahh, but it does the trick."

"It would want to if it smells like that."

Duo chuckled. "Pass me the bandage, would you, Heero?" One bandage was duly handed over and Duo quickly strapped the leg before going to wash his hands and fetch a carrot for the patient. 

Heero led his horse out of the stable block and to the paddock he'd been in yesterday, turning him around to face the gate before unclipping the lead and letting the horse go. Zero ambled off and found a nice patch of grass to roll on before getting to his feet with a grunt, shaking himself and then settling down to graze.

"Well, he certainly looks right at home," remarked Duo as he watched the animal.

"I think he's getting old, grunting like that," stated Heero with a smile in his voice.

Duo chuckled. "You know what they say, Heero. Owners are like their animals."

"You saying I'm getting old, Duo?"

"You should have heard you snoring and grunting last night," teased Duo.

"I don't grunt, snore maybe, but not grunt. And I'll show you just how old I am." Heero moved swiftly and before Duo knew what had hit him, Heero had him in a one armed embrace and was kissing him senseless.

"Okay, maybe I was wrong," gasped Duo as he was finally released for air.

Heero simply smirked and began to walk back to the house, Duo following along behind and unable to keep his eyes from looking at Heero's very nice rear end.

***

Heero took another shower and then prepared to get ready for his interview. Stepping out of the shower he dried himself off as best he could and slipped his boxers on. With the towel slung over his shoulders he went back to his room and tried to pull on his slacks, the material clinging to his still damp skin and making the task nearly impossible. He gave a few choice words and tried again to yank the pants up over his thighs.

Duo was walking past the bedroom when he heard Heero's cursing and paused at the door. "You okay, Heero? Need a hand?"

Heero sighed. Looked like he was resigned to having someone help him whether he wanted it or not. "If you don't mind, Duo."

"What's the problem? Oh," said Duo as he stepped inside the room.

Heero went bright red. "I'm sorry, Duo. I can't get my skin dry enough and the pants are sticking to me. I..… I had hoped to avoid putting you in this situation... again..." Heero trailed off. Despite the fact that they had enjoyed a little 'make out' session on the couch last night, Heero was still a little uncomfortable with the situation, he didn't want Duo to think he was doing this on purpose.

Smiling and trying hard not to laugh, Duo stepped forwards. "Geeze, I don't know, Heero," he began, trying to make light of the problem. "I thought I was supposed to help you get out of your pants, not into them."

Spluttering slightly at the turn of events, Heero went an even brighter shade of red.

"Come here," said Duo softly and took a firm hold of the waistband and tugged the pants up. He couldn't resist smoothing a hand over the back of them and copping a quick feel of Heero's ass. "You alright to do up the front or do you need some help with that?" he snickered.

"You keep groping me and I will most certainly need a hand with *that*," replied Heero with a smirk.

Duo simply laughed and stole a kiss. "I might surprise you yet, Heero Yuy," he whispered and then darted away to pick up the discarded towel and dry off Heero's back and the strapping.

A soft moan escaped Heero's lips with Duo's words and he hastened to do up his fly before anything could rise to the occasion and get in the way. The rubbing of the soft towel over his back felt good and he smiled as he felt the tenderness in the touch when Duo dried him off over his injured shoulder. "Arigato."

"Now for the shirt." Duo picked up the shirt and managed to get Heero into it without too much trouble. Starting with the injured arm he was able to wriggle the fabric around so as both of Heero's arms were in the sleeves. He straightened the shirt and began to do up the buttons.

Watching the vet as he worked, Heero couldn't help but notice the pink tip of Duo's tongue which stuck out of his mouth as the vet concentrated on his task. Heero found it rather adorable.

Shirt done up, Heero tucked it into his pants with a little help from Duo. Actually there was a bit more groping than help, but Heero didn't mind, secretly he was rather enjoying it.

"Now for the tie," stated Duo as he lifted the tie from the bed and began to slide it around Heero's neck. Carefully he wound the tie around, slipped it through and pulled the knot tight. He straightened it and tucked the end away. "There you go, all ready."

"Socks and shoes," said Heero raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah. Sit down then and I'll help."

"I can manage them on my own," replied Heero.

"I know you can but it will be quicker and less painful if I help." Duo picked up the socks and Heero sat on the bed, offering a foot. Duo couldn't help himself. "This little piggy went to market... This little piggy..."

"DUO!"

"Oops, sorry," laughed Duo and began to put the sock on Heero's foot. The other sock was swiftly dealt with and the shoes slipped on. Finally Heero stood up. "Your hair needs brushing and then you're all set," said Duo.

"Thanks." Heero went through to the bathroom to try and tame his unruly hair. The comb worked through the thick strands of hair but it soon fell back into its usual messy state. Heero growled at his reflection. "One of these days I should get you all cut off," he threatened the hair. With a scowl he put the comb down and went back out to the kitchen where Duo was checking that he had everything he needed for his morning consults.

"Wow, don't you look the part of the businessman," said Duo as he ran an appraising eye over Heero. "Got everything?"

"Hai. Thanks for your help, Duo."

"No problem, Heero. Here." Duo handed Heero a cup of tea. "This should calm any nerves that you might have."

Heero placed the folder he was carrying onto the table and gratefully took the cup of tea. He blew on it and then began to sip on it.

"You sure you got everything?"

"Hai." Heero nodded in the direction of the folder. "I have my certificates of qualification and my resume all in there. I shouldn't need anything else. Oh, there is one thing. If they ask me for a personal reference, would you mind if I gave them your name?"

"Of course I don't mind, Heero. I'd be happy to stand as a reference for you. Now, I have to go and open up for consults. Good luck, knock 'em dead, tiger." Duo closed the gap between them and wound his arms around Heero, kissing the other man for good luck.

Heero returned the kiss with just as much passion and enthusiasm. "Thanks, Duo. Not just for the good wishes, but for all your support and help."

"Aww..… You're welcome, Heero. I really must go though or the hoards will be beating down my door."

"No flirting with the clients, Duo."

"Wouldn't dream of it, buddy. See you when you get back," and with a wave of his hand, Duo was gone, heading for the surgery to open up and begin his morning routine of consultations.

Heero finished his tea and checked the clock. He had plenty of time so he rechecked that he had everything, patted his back pocket to make sure his wallet was there and then picking up the car keys, folder and piece of paper with the directions and address on it, he left the house and went to his interview.

***

Heero managed to navigate with ease to the office where his interview was scheduled. He parked the car and got out, taking the folder with him. A glance to his watch told him it was ten forty five. Good. Better to be early than late, it would stand in his favor that he was obviously a punctual person. He checked his reflection in the car's side mirror then tested the car door to make sure it was locked before striding along the pavement to the front doors of 'McKay and Sons Accountants'. The coolness of the air-conditioned interior washed over him as he entered the building, the quietness of the reception area a welcome haven after the sounds of the traffic outside. Heero walked to the reception desk and waited for the young girl to finish on the 'phone.

"Can I help you?"

"My name is Heero Yuy. I have an interview with a..." Heero quickly looked at his piece of paper. "A Mr. Ian McKay at eleven."

The young girl turned and propelled her office chair to the other desk where a large appointments book sat open. She scanned down the page and then turned back to Heero. "Yes, Mr. Yuy. If you would like to take a seat, I'll let Mr. McKay know that you're here."

"Thank you." Heero turned and went to sit in one of the few chairs that graced the wall of the reception area. He listened to the girl as she spoke with Mr. McKay, notifying him of Heero's arrival whilst his eyes took in the decor. The walls were painted a pale gray color, the carpet a little worn but still holding a mixture of gray and blue threads. The chairs were a soft blue gray and blended in well with the rest of the room. A couple of prints hung on the walls, both landscapes which added a splash of color to the room. A door opened and Heero's mind immediately switched back to his reason for being there. A tall man, roughly forty five-ish so Heero guessed, stepped out.

"Heero Yuy?"

"Yes?" Heero stood up and walked towards the man.

A hand was offered but Heero couldn't shake it, firstly because he was holding his folder in his uninjured hand and secondly because he couldn't shake left hand to right hand and his right hand was in a sling. "Ah, sorry," he apologized.

The man looked him up and down, frowning slightly at the sling but then dismissed it. "Follow me, please."

Heero walked behind the man, along a hallway and into an office on the right. He sat in the chair indicated whilst the man closed the door and then took up residence in the large, overstuffed chair on the opposite side of the desk to Heero.

"Now, Mr. Yuy, why do you think McKay and Sons should employ you? What do you have to offer the company?"

Heero took a deep breath and ignoring the butterflies in his stomach began to recite the assets he could bring to the company, should they employ him.

***

Morning consults seemed to drag by for Duo. Even though he was kept busy with a steady stream of clients his mind kept flitting to Heero and wondering how he was getting on with his interview. Even the evil computer failed to annoy him. The small changes that Heero had made to the data base made it much simpler for Duo to operate and only served to remind him yet again of the dark haired man and his talents. 

The young girl had called about Fluffy the kitten and Duo had relayed the information to her, explaining that whilst the kitten hadn't gotten any worse she was still to show signs of improvement and that they still had a long way to go before he could deem the kitten recovered. 

The last client of the morning departed after leaving his dog with Duo to be castrated and Duo gratefully closed the door behind him. He finished up on the computer and then went through to clean up the consulting room, wiping the table and sweeping the floor before gathering all the instruments together and popping them in the autoclave. He worked on autopilot, the routine as familiar to him as cleaning his teeth and soon the work was done. He stopped in the kennels to check on Fluffy and clean her face before giving her another shot of antibiotic. The little kitten still showed no signs of improvement and Duo felt his heart sink. He didn't want to admit it but it wasn't looking too good for Fluffy.

He checked the kelpie that had been brought in for sterilization that afternoon, the dog seemed happy enough, even though he was in a strange place. Duo left the kennel area and went through to his small operating room to prepare for the afternoon surgery. He thought he might as well set everything up now and then go back down to the house to wait for Heero. He fetched the freshly sterilized instruments and set them out on a tray, checking them over and covering them with a green, sterile cloth. Then he made sure that he had enough silk on the spool to stitch with and put the needle he would use ready. Satisfied that he had the drugs he needed handy and that everything was now set up and ready for the operation, Duo left the small building, locking the door behind him and went back to the house to prepare lunch and wait for Heero.

There was no sign of Heero or the car so Duo decided to pay Zero a visit and make sure that the horse was okay and pass some of the time. Zero stood underneath the large gum tree in the paddock, tail swishing at the flies as his head drooped and he dozed in the warmth of the day. Duo smiled as he leant on the fence watching the animal. Checking the water bucket, Duo left the horse to his dozing and went back to the house again and set about making some sandwiches and doing his ironing before he was completely without clothes.

The last shirt went onto the coathanger and Duo switched off the iron, giving a sigh at the same time. He hated ironing, hence his reasons for leaving it until he literally had to do it. At least now the evil chore was done and he again had clothes. The clock said one and there was still no sign of Heero. Duo fetched his vacuum cleaner out, maybe a little housework would make the time go quicker.

***

Heero pulled into the now familiar driveway and brought the car to a halt around the back of the house. Getting out he grabbed the folder from the seat and locked the car. Walking towards the house he could hear the sounds of a vacuum going and curiously he stepped inside, placing the folder on the kitchen table and following the sounds. He paused in the doorway to the lounge and smiled. Duo had his back to him, busily vacuuming away, hips swaying to a rhythm only the vet could hear. Not wanting to disturb the scene of domestic bliss, Heero stayed where he was and simply watched.

Duo felt a prickling to the back of his neck, someone was watching him. Quickly he turned around and a sheepish grin found his lips as he realized he'd been caught out. He bent and turned off the machine.

"Don't stop on my account," said Heero with a grin. "I'm quite enjoying the view."

"I bet you are,'” replied Duo. "I'm finished now anyway. Hungry?"

"Hai."

"How did the interview go?" Duo asked as he unplugged the machine and went to press the button for the automatic cord rewind. "Ow, shit!" he yelped as the cord snaked across the room at supersonic speed, whipping around like a live thing and clocking Duo in the shin as it was sucked back into the vacuum cleaner.

"You okay?" asked Heero, the concern heavy in his voice.

"I'll live," replied Duo as he rubbed his shin. "You'd think I'd have learnt by now to dodge that thing."

"I take it that this isn't the first time it's gotten you?" Heero was trying to keep the mirth from his voice.

"Nah, damn thing usually manages to score a bruise or two at least once a month. They should put warning labels on the thing; it could be a lethal weapon in the wrong hands."

"Death by vacuum cleaner, now there's something you wouldn't read about every day," snickered Heero.

"Could happen if the bloody thing managed to get the cord around your neck. I wouldn't put it past it to try either. Between the vaccy and the computer I'm surprised that I still have all my limbs intact." Duo picked up the small machine and carried it through to the hall cupboard where it lived and put it away. "Now stay there, Fido."

"Fido?"

"The vaccy."

"Duo, do you name all your appliances?"

"Not all, just some," replied Duo with a grin. "Come on, lunch is ready and I'm dying to hear all about the interview."

Heero followed his boyfriend through the house to the kitchen, shaking his head in amusement. Fido for the vacuum cleaner, Nrobbuts for the computer, it made Heero wonder what the hell Duo had named the car; or the television... Then again, he really didn't want to know.

Sitting at the table with a thick ham and salad sandwich in front of him, glass of orange juice to the side, Heero was once again questioned.

"So, how was the interview? Did you get the job? Was it a nice place? What's the staff like?" Duo fired off the questions one after another.

Heero raised his eyes and set his half eaten sandwich back on the plate. He finished chewing and cleared his throat. "The staff are friendly, the place is nice, the interview went okay and they are going to ring me this afternoon to let me know."

"Oh."

As Duo spoke so Heero's cell phone began to ring. Heero unclipped it from his pants and glanced at the caller ID. "That will be the company now."

~ * ~ 

tbc....


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Aren't you going to answer it?" asked Duo as Heero stared at the cell 'phone.

"Hai." Heero quickly pushed the button to accept the call, placing the small contraption to his ear. "Yuy speaking."

Duo sat opposite Heero, he could only hear one side of the conversation but his fingers drummed the table in anticipation, his eyes wide as he tried to get an idea of what was happening from Heero's facial expressions. Not that Heero was giving much away. Seemed the other man could keep his thoughts and emotions completely hidden away.

"Yes, Mr. McKay."

Duo gave a reassuring smile.

"Yes, I understand. No, that's perfectly all right. Yes, yes. No problem, you have a nice day too. Thank you for calling." Heero lowered the cell 'phone and pressed the button to disconnect the call.

"Well?!" Duo demanded. "What did he say? Did you get the job? When do you start?"

Heero took a deep breath and set the phone down on the table before looking up to meet Duo's excited amethyst. "I didn't get the job," he stated flatly.

"Oh, Heero. I'm sorry." Duo was out of his seat and around the table, arms wrapping around Heero's shoulders as he offered what comfort he could. "Did they say why they didn't give you the position?"

Sighing, Heero raised his hand to rest on Duo's arm. "He said they had decided to go with someone else. He's lying."

"Huh?"

"It's because I'm only functional with one arm, even though he didn't come out and say it, I can tell. All through the interview he was looking at the sling, I told him what happened and how long I would be without the use of it. He read my resume, I told him how fast I can work, told him about some of the clients I've dealt with and how pleased they were with my work. Shit, I even showed him the letters of appreciation I've had sent to me from a couple of well known companies, but it obviously didn't make any difference. He'd made up his mind already, as soon as he saw my arm in the sling."

"Oh, Heero. That's awful, to not even give you a chance. Rotten bastard."

"It's okay, Duo. I guess I can't really blame him. I suppose I'll just have to keep looking, although there aren't a lot of opportunities this far out of the major city and I really don't want to have to move back there, I hate the city." Heero rested his head against Duo's chest, the comfort of Duo's arms around him and the steady thump of the vet's heart doing more to soothe his disappointment than the vet would know.

"I've got the paper in the lounge room, you can have a look through it after lunch and see if there's anything in there. Feel free to use the 'phone to call anywhere." Duo placed a tender kiss to the top of Heero's head. "Yuk! Your hair needs a good wash, Heero," he stated as the smell of sweat greeted his nostrils.

"Umm..." Heero wasn't sure what to say. "I did try but I can't wash it properly with only one hand."

"Shit! I was gonna help you with it, wasn't I? Damn. Why didn't you remind me, Heero?"

"You were busy, Duo. I didn't want to impose."

"Look, I have a dog booked in for surgery this afternoon, otherwise I'd do it for you after lunch. How about I wash it for you after dinner tonight?"

"Does that mean you want me to stay again?"

Duo began to blush. "Errr... Only if you want too."

"Duo, I'd love to stay, but.…"

"But?"

"Let me help you this afternoon with the surgery and again tonight with the evening consults."

Duo cocked his head and thought for a moment. "All right, it's a deal."

"Arigato."

***

Lunch finished, Heero checked the paper and made a couple of calls, teeing up two more interviews for the following day. Both were in neighboring villages but on the opposite side to Heero's town. Still, it would be better than driving to the city, or even worse; having to move back there. With the calls out of the way Heero went with Duo to the surgery to assist with the operation. He didn't know what Duo was doing as Duo hadn't said and Heero hadn't asked.

Duo went through to the dog kennels and fetched the Kelpie, leading him into the operating room he asked Heero to hold the dog whilst he fetched the anesthetic. Swapping the needle for the dog, Duo lifted the animal onto the operating table and fetched the clippers. Quickly he clipped away a small area on the dog's front leg and took the needle back from Heero. With Heero's hand on the dog's ruff, Duo applied pressure to the leg and watched as the vein began to rise. A quick swab and the needle was inserted, the anesthetic flowing into the bloodstream and within seconds the dog slumped peacefully to the table.

"That was quick," stated Heero.

"Yeah, this anesthetic's pretty good," replied Duo as he taped the needle to the dog's leg so he could top up the anesthetic as needed and then began to arrange the animal how he wanted him on the table. Soft fabric loops were applied to the legs to secure the dog on its back and expose the operation site as well as ensure that the animal wouldn't slip off.

"What's the operation?" Heero asked as he watched Duo arrange the dog.

"Castration."

"Aa." Heero automatically drew his legs closer together.

Duo snickered and turned to check that the dog was completely anesthetized and secure. "Good. We can begin now."

"We?" asked Heero.

"You said you wanted to help." Duo couldn't help but tease the other man.

"Umm... Okay. What do you want me to do?"

"It's okay, Heero. You don't have to help, I can do this by myself."

"No. I said I would help you and I will," replied Heero and stepped back to the operating table. "Just tell me what it is you want me to do and I'll do it if I can."

"Okay. I'll get you to keep an eye on the dog's breathing rate for me, make sure it remains regular. Also, if you don't mind, I'll get you to pass me some instruments and other things as I need them, if you're sure that you still want to help that is."

"I can do that," stated Heero and took a deep breath.

"Then let's begin." Duo picked up a bottle of Betadine solution and poured a generous amount onto a thick, cottonwool pad.

"What's that again?" asked Heero.

"Betadine. Strong antiseptic," came the reply as Duo began to wipe the yellow/brown liquid around the operation site. Satisfied that he'd coated the area completely, Duo placed the bottle back on the trolley and picked up a pair of latex gloves, slipping them onto his slender hands quickly. He held out a hand. "Scalpel," he said and grinned at Heero. "Always wanted to say that," he snickered.

Heero shook his head and picked up the scalpel from the tray, handing it to Duo. "There you go, Doctor Kildare."

"Doctor who?"

"No, not Doctor Who, Doctor Kildare," smirked Heero. "Old television series, my mum used to watch it years ago."

"Ah. Doctor Who I know, the Tardis and Daleks are cool but this Kildare bloke, never heard of him."

"The Cybermen were better than the Daleks."

"No way!" Duo replied as he began to make his incision.

Heero subconsciously lowered his hand to his groin and scratched, more a gesture to make sure that his own equipment was still there than anything. His eyes were trained on Duo and what the vet was doing. He found it fascinating, even if his own balls were trying to climb inside his body with the knowledge of what was happening in front of him.

Duo carefully incised the skin of the dog's scrotum, making sure not to go too deep with his cut. The skin began to peel back and Duo reached for a swab to mop up the small amount of blood that had been expelled with his incision. "This is the tricky part," he said as his brow furrowed in concentration.

"The tricky part?" asked Heero. To him, all of it looked tricky. How the hell Duo managed to know what part of the dog's internal anatomy was what defied him; it all looked the same to him. Thank heavens it was Duo who was doing this operation, Heero had no doubts that he would have most likely snipped off something important if it was him.

"I need to remove the testicle and cut the vas deferens. If this was a show dog then I wouldn't remove the testicles, I'd just cut the vas deferens and leave the testicles in the scrotum. But this isn't a show dog, he's a house pet and occasional working dog so I will remove the testicles completely and seal the vas deferens; thus sterilizing him." Duo fished around for a moment. "I have to make sure I get the right tube, could be disastrous if I snipped the wrong one."

Heero swallowed and drew his legs a little tighter together.

"Sometimes they try to suck the testicle back up inside, that's fun, trying to get the damn thing back down again. Ah, there you are."

Heero could fully sympathize with the dog; his own balls had retreated to the safety of his abdomen.

"Now it's just a simple case of 'snip' and then a stitch..." Duo held the glistening, pale bluish pink testicle and fine tube in his forceps. "Can you pass me the scissors and those clamps, Heero? The fine, long nosed ones please."

Heero glanced at the tray and spotted the items. Picking them up gingerly, he passed the scissors, handle first to Duo and then the two clamps.

"Thanks." Duo located the minuscule tube and placed the two clamps on it; then he quickly cut it and lifted the testicle with his forceps. "Dish," he stated.

Heero passed over a kidney dish and Duo dropped the removed testicle into it. 

"I'll stitch this one first and then remove the other."

"Okay." Heero squinted into the kidney dish whilst Duo was busy putting a couple of tiny stitches into the cut tube and sealing it. His curiosity really was getting the better of him. The testicle wasn't all that big, more oval in shape, pinkish in color with a slimy appearance. Heero found it hard to associate the lump of tissue he was staring at with the whole idea that it was responsible for producing sperm to ensure pregnancy. 

"Yours are pretty much the same, you know."

"Huh?"

"Your testicles, Heero. They're the same as that one there; and this one." Duo dropped the second testicle into the kidney dish. "Basically the only difference is size, a human male's testes are obviously larger, although some of the dogs I've castrated in the past might argue with that." Duo chuckled as he noted the horrified expression on Heero's face. "Feeling a little uncomfortable?"

"Aa."

"Don't worry, you'd be surprised at how long it took me to be able to perform a castration without having my legs crossed, or my balls running for cover." Duo carefully swabbed out the wound site. "Can you pass me that penicillin powder please?"

Looking at the small, blue plastic bottle, Heero picked it up and handed it to Duo. "That the one?"

"Yes. Thank you." Duo dusted the wound site with a generous amount of the powder before passing the bottle back. "Only have to stitch him up now and all's finished."

"What do you do with the, ummm... bits?" Heero looked pointedly at the kidney dish.

Duo gave an evil smirk. "Some people eat them, say it's good to increase your fertility."

Heero blanched. "You're kidding me?" he whispered.

"Nope. Personally I've never tried it, but if you..."

"No!"

Duo dissolved into fits of laughter.

"Bastard!" hissed Heero.

"Oh, Heero. If you could have seen the expression on your face," snickered the vet. "I'm only teasing you. I usually check the 'bits' as you call them for any abnormalities and then I incinerate them."

"Hn."

"But I was serious when I said that some people do eat them."

Heero could only hope that they weren't having meatballs for dinner.

Duo returned to his task of stitching up the dog, carefully bringing the lips of the wound together and sealing them with several tiny, neat little stitches. He was sweating by the time he'd finished. "There, all done." Duo stood back to admire his handiwork, peeling off the gloves and tossing them into the bin.

"Neat," commented Heero.

"That's one thing I'm proud of, I can stitch neatly," stated Duo as he swabbed the area again with Betadine and then removed the needle from the dog's leg before untying the straps and placing the dog on a blanket on the floor to recover. "Better clean up while we wait for Kip here to wake up."

Heero collected the used utensils and placed them all together on the tray ready to be washed and sterilized. Duo put the kidney dish to one side and picked up all the swabs, placing them in the bin. He wiped the operating table down and then rinsed the instruments through before placing the tray by the autoclave. The machine was still sterilizing the instruments from earlier so Duo would wait until later to put these ones in. Checking the dog again and noting that he was still to stir, Duo picked up the kidney dish and went to the bench where a microscope sat. He removed one of the testicles and studied it carefully.

"What are you doing?" Heero asked appearing at Duo's side.

"Figuring out if it would be better fried or oven roasted."

"Yuk! Duo, you have a sick sense of humor." Heero began to turn a little green.

"Just joking, Heero," Duo grinned at the Asian man. "Actually I'm checking that everything is normal and healthy. Quite often you can detect a disease or something else by looking at the removed organs." Duo took a scraping from the tissue of the testicle and placed it on a slide, then slipped the small glass plate under the microscope. He twiddled the knobs of the microscope as he peered down the top. "Ah."

"What is it?" Heero craned his neck but wasn't able to see a thing, obviously because Duo was looking down the microscope.

"Take a look." Duo moved aside so Heero could peer down the microscope at the tiny world of cells. 

"Ummm... Duo?"

"Yes?"

"All I can see is a whole bunch of what I assume to be cells."

"Yup, that's right, Heero. All healthy cells."

Heero pulled back from the microscope and was confronted by a grinning Duo. "You really can be an asshole sometimes," Heero stated flatly and then closed in to kiss Duo's lips. The kiss began to deepen, Heero's tongue sliding into Duo's mouth and exploring the heated cavern. As he began to pull away so Duo's mouth followed him, reluctant for the kiss to break and sucking on Heero's tongue.

A soft whine from the floor alerted Duo to Kip's return to the conscious world and with a sigh he let Heero go. "I want a rain check," he said with a smile as he left his seat and walked to the dog. "Hey, fella, how you doing?" 

"Nice view," smirked Heero as he blatantly ogled Duo's ass.

Wiggling his rear end a little, Duo checked the dog over. "I think we can take you back to the kennels now, Kip." He straightened up and turned to face Heero. "Would you mind going into the kennels for me and checking that the blanket and all is okay in Kip's kennel? I'll carry him through in just a moment."

"Sure." Heero left the small operating room and went along the hallway to the kennels. He found the one that Duo had used for the dog and straightened out the blanket. He was just picking up the water bowl when Duo came in with his arms full of the dog. "Everything's set," he informed the vet. "Is it okay for me to give him some fresh water?"

"That would be great, Heero," grunted Duo from under his load. Carefully Duo put the dog into the kennel. "Rest now, boy, your owner will be here later to pick you up."

"Duo...?"

Duo turned around at the sound of Heero's voice. The young man was standing in the aisle of the kennels, bowl of water for the dog in his hand which was shaking a little. Instantly, Duo was on his feet. The shaking combined with the tone of voice Heero had used alerting him that something was wrong. "What is it, Heero? You okay?" Duo was beside the other man quickly.

Heero couldn't speak. A lump had formed in his throat and blocked his vocal chords. All he could do was stand there mutely, body trembling and nod towards the kennel.

Duo followed Heero's nod and line of vision. "Fuck!" he said softly. "Heero, go and give Kip his water and make sure that the kennel door is secure please."

Heero nodded mutely, feeling a prickling behind his eyes. He shuffled down the aisle until he reached the dog's kennel and placed the bowl of water inside, securing the door as he finished. Slowly he turned around, not really wanting to, but knowing he had to.

Duo swallowed the lump in his own throat and opened the kennel door. Gently he lifted the small kitten from inside and checked for a pulse. He didn't expect to find one as the tiny body was already starting to stiffen.

He didn't. 

Gently he ran a finger over the small head, stroking softly, a caress of farewell, one that the kitten wouldn't feel. "I'm sorry," he whispered to the cat.

"I... Is she..." began Heero but was unable to finish the words.

"I'm afraid so, Heero. Looks like the bug was too strong."

Heero turned around and stared at the dog in the kennel, he didn't trust his voice.

Duo wrapped the little cat in the blanket she'd been using and carefully set her back in the kennel. Closing the door he paused for a moment. He hated this part of veterinary practice. Losing a patient was a hard blow. They said you got used to it and that it was all a part of being a vet; but Duo knew the pain of loss would never truly go away, no matter how many times the inevitable happened it would always leave a fresh, raw, bleeding wound to his heart. He turned his eyes to Heero, the Asian man had his back to him and Duo could see the slight shaking. Wiping his hands on his jeans he walked up behind his boyfriend and gently turned him around, wrapping his arms around him and offering a little comfort.

Heero let himself fall into those strong arms and took a moment to savor the comfort they offered. He brought his hand up to his face and scrubbed at his eyes. "I feel like an idiot," he stated, his voice cracking slightly.

"No, you're not an idiot for caring, Heero." Duo rubbed soothing circles over Heero's back. "Unfortunately this is a part of veterinary life. You do lose some patients from time to time, it's never easy though."

"How do you do it, Duo? I mean, I didn't know this kitten, it wasn't mine and yet I can't help but feel..."

"Shhhh... It's okay. All I can say is that at least she's not suffering anymore. I feel sad too, Heero, I hate it when this sort of thing happens but you have to try and put aside the pain and resolve to try harder to save the next patient."

Heero pulled away, his eyes misting with unshed tears and then kissed Duo soundly. "I've said it before and I'll say it again; you're one amazing person, Duo."

"No, I'm not, Heero. I just care, that's all."

***

Heero set Duo's mug of coffee down on the kitchen table and fetched his own from the bench, taking a seat and looking up as Duo walked into the kitchen. "How'd it go?"

Duo ran his fingers through his bangs and sighed, sitting and taking a sip of his coffee before answering. "All right. They're going to stop by during consults and collect Fluffy."

"Aa."

"I promised you a hair wash," stated Duo as he attempted to change the subject. 

"Was she very upset?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry."

"What for? It wasn't your fault that Fluffy died."

"It wasn't yours either, Duo."

"I know." Duo looked up into sad blue eyes. "Maybe if..."

Heero reached across and put his hand on Duo's lacing their fingers together. "Don't! You did everything you could for the kitten and then some, Duo. It's just one of those things."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Now, you promised me a hair wash I believe?"

Duo smiled. "Yup, that I did. To the bathroom, Mr. Yuy." 

Duo's familiar grin was back on his face which Heero was relieved to see. Losing Fluffy had been hard, but then again, maybe it had been for the best. The kitten had suffered and at least now Heero had the comfort of knowing she wasn't in pain any longer. He stood up and followed the swinging braid of hair to the bathroom.

"Over the sink," said Duo as he helped Heero to remove his shirt and draped a towel across his shoulders. Duo had fetched a detachable shower head and hose out from the cupboard under the sink and attached it to the tap of the bathroom sink. "Great things these," he stated as he bent Heero over the sink and turned the water on. He ran it over his hand and adjusted the temperature before beginning to wet Heero's hair.

Heero was in heaven and hell. Yes, he needed his hair washing, and badly; but Duo's close proximity to his half naked body wasn't doing much for his hormonal state; not to mention the position he was in.

Duo hummed softly as he thoroughly soaked Heero's hair and then turned the water off. He leaned across Heero's bent body to retrieve the shampoo and a wicked smirk lit up his features. 

Fortunately, Heero didn't see it, if he had then alarm bells would have been going off in his head. 

With Heero bent over at the waist it put him in a perfect position for Duo to do some teasing and make the other man forget about the sad events of earlier. He squeezed some of the shampoo out into his hand and set the bottle down. Shifting a little so he was directly behind Heero, Duo reached forward and began to massage the shampoo through the thick, chocolate locks. His body was pressed tightly against Heero's and Duo smiled to himself as he felt the slight shudder pass through the one beneath him. "Okay there, buddy?"

"Aa." Feeling the body firmly pressed against him sent Heero's libido into overdrive. His cock began to stir and he couldn't help the shudder that ran along his spine. His rear end began to push back a little, trying to gauge if Duo was teasing him or completely oblivious to the effect he was having on Heero.

Duo pushed his groin a little firmer against Heero's delicious rear. His own body was responding to the teasing and it was all Duo could do to stop trying to hump Heero. His groin bulged and he knew that Heero must be able to feel his hardness against his ass.

Heero moaned softly. "Feels good," he said, unsure of if he was talking about Duo's hands in his hair or the hard length pushing at his rear. He wriggled his ass just a little.

It was Duo's turn to moan softly, he was so hard it hurt. He reached for the tap again and turned the water on, rinsing the shampoo from Heero's hair. The conditioner followed, worked through the thick strands with care and a lot more pressing of cock against ass, hips moving and offering some friction to the aching length. Finally he was done and turned the water off.

Heero managed to straighten up, albeit a little weak at the knees. Duo lifted the towel to Heero's head and began to dry his hair. Heero closed his eyes and let the vet do as he wished, enjoying the attention.

"Got a comb?"

"Uh, yeah. In my room," replied Heero as the towel was tossed to the laundry basket and a fresh one draped over his shoulders. "Thanks." Heero leaned in and stole a kiss before going to fetch his comb. He met up with Duo in the lounge room, Duo taking the comb from him and turning him around to sit on the couch with his back to Duo.

"Do you mind?" Duo asked as he began to comb through the thick locks.

"Not at all," replied Heero.

"I love having someone brush my hair," said Duo softly. "My mom used to do it for me."

"Would you let me brush it for you sometime?" Heero asked a little hesitantly. His fingers itched to run through that rich, chestnut mass but hadn't dared to ask before.

"If you want to."

"I'd love to."

They continued to sit in silence as Duo worked the tangles out of Heero's mop of hair. Finally setting the comb down, Duo announced that he'd finished. Heero turned around and met with smoldering violet. "Arigato."

"You're welcome."

Heero wrapped his arm around Duo and pressed a kiss to the other man's lips, then he began a series of kisses along Duo's jaw, up to his ear and nibbled softly on the earlobe. "Tease," he whispered.

"You enjoyed it," came the hitched reply.

"Hai, I did. You like that?" Heero knew he's found a sensitive spot just behind Duo's ear, the way Duo's breath caught and tiny shivers passed through his skin told Heero as much.

"Mmm... Love it," came the husky reply.

Heero let his hand wander along Duo's back to rub over his backside. "You're so hot, Duo," he murmured softly. "I could kiss you all over, all day, every day..."

"You're not exactly icy yourself," Duo panted and let a hand drop to Heero's groin and squeeze the bulge in Heero's pants.

"Ahh... Don't stop, please," begged Heero. The teasing from earlier had made Heero completely hard and he ached for some friction. He thrust his hips into Duo's hand, eager to receive more.

This time Duo didn't stop. His own excitement had reached a point where it couldn't be denied any longer. He wanted to touch Heero, wanted Heero to touch him and damn the consequences. Heero had shown him nothing but trust and respect and Duo no longer doubted Heero's reasons for wanting to court him. He'd been nothing other than a thorough gentleman to Duo so far and had told Duo that as far as the sex went, it was Duo's call. Whatever the vet wanted, how far he wished to go was entirely up to him. Heero wouldn't pressure him and for that he was grateful. Now he felt ready for a little more. Carefully he brought his fingers to the zipper of Heero's pants and began to ease the tab down. Once the teeth had parted, Duo gently wormed his hand inside and located the flap of Heero's boxers. He brushed over the wet spot in his quest to find Heero's cock and smiled to himself. Fingers found the flap and dived inside, seeking Heero's length and finding it. He curled his hand around the thick shaft and drew Heero's cock out of his clothing. He couldn't resist taking a peek at the other man and quickly dropped his eyes. His breath hitched as he observed the accountant's manhood.

The crown was swollen and red, pearly droplets gathering at the tip and oozing over the head. Heero felt hot and heavy in his hand, like velvet over steel and Duo savored the feeling. Unlike himself, Heero was cut but that didn't bother Duo, if anything the lack of foreskin gave him an unhindered view of Heero's cock. Gently he squeezed a little and began to stroke.

"Aa, feels good," panted Heero, his eyes closed as he bathed in the pleasure of the vet's hand stroking his need. His own hand dropped to Duo's groin and began to palm the encased erection he found there. "May I?" he managed to breathe out and tugged gently on the zip tab of Duo's jeans.

"I'd be most upset if you don't," came the husky reply.

Eagerly Heero's fingers grasped the tab and lowered it, fingers moving inside and lifting the waistband of Duo's briefs to lever his cock out to the air. Just as Duo had done earlier, Heero's eyes glanced down for a look at the other man. Duo's cock was slightly longer than his but not as thick, the foreskin stretching over the swollen head, protecting it from prying eyes. Heero curled his fingers around the length and eased the foreskin back. Precum beaded at the tiny slit and Heero longed for a taste but denied himself the pleasure. That could wait for another time. Hopefully there would be another time. Heero could only pray that Duo trusted him enough to know that he wasn't here for the sex; that he truly did care about the other man and wanted to be with him on a permanent basis, if Duo was willing.

"Mmmm..." Duo moaned and began to roll his hips as Heero's hand tightened around his shaft and began to pump him. His own hand began to fist Heero's cock a little faster, thumb moving over the head to spread the precum and aid in his stroking.

They remained on the couch together, pressed against each other and pleasuring one another. Hands moved languidly, slowly building the speed as hips pushed upwards. Pants and groans were spilled from mouths as they climbed the ladder to the inevitable end.

"Ah, Heero... I'm gonna..." 

"Oh God, Duo... me too..."

A few more strokes was all it took and Duo was moaning his pleasure to the lounge room as his essence spilled from his cock, coating Heero's hand and his jeans.

Heero followed seconds later, his own seed spurting from his tip and covering his slacks and Duo's hand. Movements slowed and cocks were released as the two collapsed against each other, panting heavily and drowning in their respective orgasms. Duo was the first one to stir and raised his head from Heero's shoulder to place a kiss to Heero's neck.

"That was..."

"...Incredible," Heero finished for him. "So much more satisfying than doing it yourself," he chuckled.

"You can say that again. Oh, yuk!"

"What?"

Duo looked down at his groin where his flaccid cock now lay happily hanging out of the open fly of his jeans that were stained dark from his semen.

"Messy," commented Heero as he looked at his own state. His cock was also resting happily against his thigh, the congealing mess of semen evident on his slacks. "Shit, I'll have to wash them as I need them for tomorrow's interviews."

Duo began to chuckle. "I think we should clean up. Don't panic, I'll throw your pants in the wash with my jeans, I'll lend you a pair of sweats for now; even though the thought of having you wandering around here in only your underwear does have an appeal."

Heero shook his head but laughed anyway. "If you want me wandering around in my underwear then I'd happily do it for you, Duo; only I don't think your clients would appreciate it."

"Good point." Duo stood up and tucked himself away. "I'm going to get cleaned up and changed." He leaned forwards and captured Heero's lips in a sweet kiss. "Thank you," he said softly as he pulled away. "That was wonderful."

"And thank you," murmured Heero in return. "I'll clean up in just a second, once I can walk again," he smiled.

Duo laughed and headed for the bathroom. "Better not be too long, we have Zero to see to before evening consults."

"Okay. I'm coming." 

"I thought you already did that," sang Duo's voice from the bathroom.

"That I did and it was wonderful," whispered Heero and began to tuck himself back into his pants, but before he got up he couldn't resist taking a lick at Duo's essence that still coated his hand. It was salty and slightly bitter, but very much Duo. Heero couldn't wait to taste the long haired vet for real.

~ * ~ 

tbc......


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Duo tossed both his and Heero's pants into the washing machine and left the cycle to run its course whilst tending to Zero. The horse was starting to look a lot happier and although still limping, the swelling had almost gone completely from the cannon bone, but puffiness remained around the fetlock joint though. Duo explained that this was what he'd expected given the injury to the joint, ligaments and tendons. More of the liniment was applied, Heero wrinkling his nose again in disgust as he fed Zero the much adored carrots.

"Any idea as to how long before he's sound again?" Heero asked as Zero dribbled carrot out of his mouth. "Greedy bugger, that's what you get for trying to cram more in your gob than you can chew," Heero chastised the horse.

Zero ignored him, concentrating on chewing the carrots he had stuffed into his mouth and searching Heero for more.

Duo chuckled from his position crouched on the floor, rubbing in the liniment. "Just as long as he doesn't dribble any of that slobber into my hair, I'll be happy." Duo ducked as a piece of carrot came flying his way. "No fair! I can't defend myself," he protested as Heero tossed another carrot piece his way.

Zero, it seemed, didn't like having his carrots tossed away either and let Heero know it with a soft nip to his leg.

"Ow!" yelped Heero and rubbed his leg

Duo snickered and Zero turned his liquid brown eyes to the vet, nuzzling him gently.

"Traitor," muttered Heero.

"Serves you right," sniggered Duo.

"You still didn't answer my question, Duo, and you..." Heero fixed Zero with a steely gaze. "Anymore nipping and you won't get anymore carrots."

Zero just wuffled and nudged his master. He knew an idle threat when he heard it.

"Hard to say, Heero," replied Duo as he stood up and eased the kinks from his back. "At this rate of recovery I'd say about another six weeks and he should be sound. Then he'll need about another four before you start to put him back into work again and then it must only be slow work at first to see how the leg holds up."

"So you think he will be able to compete again?" asked Heero as he led the horse from the crush and to his stable.

"I can't see any reason why not. Everything is going along well at this stage and if it continues to do so, and he shows no signs of soreness then I have no doubt that he will compete again. A lot will depend on when you put him back into work and what sort of work plan you have for him." Duo followed the pair to the stable and closed the door as Heero exited.

"That's good news then. If you don't mind, Duo, when it comes time to put him back into work I'd like your input on the work program I should follow," replied Heero as he hung up the lead rope.

"I'd be happy to advise you, Heero, although I do warn you when it comes to the ridden side of things I'm not all that knowledgeable."

"I value your input; you'd know best if what I map out would be too strenuous or put undue strain on the joint or injured tissues," stated Heero as he followed the vet out of the stable block and back to the house.

"No problem."

"Thanks." Heero leaned in and stole a kiss.

"You're welcome. Now, I have to pop these clothes on the line and then get ready for evening consults," smiled Duo as he headed inside the house.

***

The evenings consults passed quickly, another steady stream of clients rolled through the door, not as many as the previous evening but enough to keep Heero occupied and Duo grateful for the help. Kip's owner turned up to fetch the dog which had recovered well from his operation. Duo gave the owner a slip of paper with the general post operative care instructions on it and told the man to bring the dog back if he had any concerns, otherwise he'd see him in ten days to remove the stitches.

Heero had just finished loading a client's details into the computer when the young girl that owned Fluffy turned up. Heero asked her to wait until Duo had finished with his current client as he wasn't sure what Duo wanted to do in regards to the account for the kitten or anything else relating to the cat. The young girl nodded and took a seat.

Duo stepped out of the consulting room a couple of minutes later, chatting quietly to the young lady about her dog. Placing the folder down on the hatch top he turned to speak with Heero, only to be stopped by the accountant.

"Fluffy's owner is here," Heero said quietly.

"Oh. Thanks, Heero." Duo turned back to the young woman. "Heero here will sort you out, Mrs. Thompson. He'll book Dusty in for you on a day that's convenient for you and explain the pre-op procedure." Turning back to Heero, Duo spoke to his boyfriend. "Dusty here needs to be booked in for a tumor removal; second drawer down has the pamphlets with the pre-op information on them. Can you give Mrs. Thompson one, please, and go through it with her?"

Heero nodded. He wasn't sure about this as he hadn't a clue when it came to pre-op, post-op or any other procedure, but he'd try.

"Thank you. Now if you will excuse me, Mrs. Thompson, I have another client I need to see."

"Thank you, Doctor Maxwell," replied Mrs. Thompson and flashed a warm smile before turning to Heero.

Heero watched Duo step into the waiting room and beckon the young girl to follow him, walking back down the hallway and out of Heero's sight, presumably to the kennels. Heero didn't envy Duo this side of the veterinary life. He turned his attention back to Mrs. Thompson and the dog. "When would you like to bring Dusty in?"

Having booked the dog in for early next week, Heero found the pamphlet that Duo had asked him to give the woman and he patiently went through it with her. As he read it so he found it wasn't all that hard to follow and understand; it had obviously been written in simple terms so that anyone could follow it easily.

Mrs. Thompson asked a couple of questions, luckily they were fairly simple and Heero was able to answer them all right, before she paid her bill and left. There wasn't anyone else waiting so Heero took the opportunity to log in all the payments for the evening into the computer program. He glanced at the clock, noting it was time to close and with there being no immediate sign of Duo returning, Heero took it upon himself to finish up. He went into the waiting room and turned the sign on the door to closed, locking the door as he did so. Then he tidied up the magazines and swept the floor as best he could with one hand. Walking through into the consulting room, he sprayed the table down and wiped it clean. He was about to start collecting all the used utensils ready for the autoclave when he heard Duo come back out of the kennels. Not wanting to intrude but curious all the same, he moved to the doorway and stepped out on the pretense of going to open the door for the young girl. He glanced down the hallway and felt his heart crack.

The young girl walked beside Duo, her eyes red and puffy from her tears. Duo carried Fluffy, wrapped in the soft blanket and had a sad look on his face. "Thanks, Heero," Duo murmured as his boyfriend held the door open for them.

Heero watched as Duo accompanied the girl outside and over to the one remaining car in the parking area. The girl got in and Duo carefully passed her the cat. Heero noted the exchange of words and sad smile on Duo's face as the vet retreated from the car and turned to walk back to the surgery. The car's engine started and the vehicle backed out of its place and left the surgery. As Duo walked back in so Heero placed a hand to Duo's shoulder. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Heero." Duo raised a hand to cover the one on his shoulder. "Thanks."

"No problem. I'm here for you, Duo, if you need me."

Duo gave him a grateful smile. "Let's get cleaned up and go eat, then I think we should sit in the lounge, watch some television and just vegetate."

Heero laughed. "I can handle that and most of the cleaning up is already done."

"Heero, you're a life saver." Duo wound his arms around Heero and hugged him. He was tired, the explanation and subsequent comforting of the young girl about her kitten had drained the last of his reserves and all he wanted to do was take a hot shower, eat a hot meal and relax on his couch with the hot guy who was currently in his arms. He kissed Heero's neck. "Thank you," he whispered against Heero's skin.

A smile found Heero's mouth with those softly spoken words and breaking the embrace a moment later, he eagerly helped Duo to finish up with the cleaning and head back to the house.

***

The next morning was pretty much a repeat of the previous one with Heero requiring Duo's assistance to dress himself for his interviews. The slacks had dried and Duo had even run the iron over them, something that amazed even him as he hated ironing. Heero had helped him with Zero's treatment and cleaning up of the stable so things were moving along quite fast. Breakfast had been a simple meal of cereal and the dishes had been done. Heero had plenty of time to get ready which was just as well given his one armed state. He couldn't wait until the sling came off and the shoulder had healed enough for him to be able to start and use it again, even if it was only for a little bit of typing. His doctor's appointment was the following day and Heero hoped that the sling would come off then.

"There you go, Heero," said Duo as he finished tying the tie and smoothed it down.

"Arigato."

"I take it that means thanks?"

"Hai. And that means yes," Heero smiled. "Sorry, I seem to forget sometimes and slip in the odd word."

"It's okay, I find it quite romantic," said Duo and then blushed.

Heero leaned in and kissed the tip of Duo's nose. "I'd be lost without you," he murmured.

"Nah, you'd have coped, Heero."

"I have my doubts. But, thank you anyway."

"You got everything?"

"Hai."

"Good luck, Heero."

Heero walked out to the car, Duo right behind him. He unlocked the vehicle and dropped the file with all his details to the seat and turned around to give Duo a hug and kiss. "I'm not sure how long the interviews will take."

"That's okay, just come on back when you're done and let me know how it all went. I should be either here at the house or in the surgery depending on what time you get back."

"Okay." Heero released his boyfriend and got into the car, Duo stepped back and watched as Heero drove away, waving until the car was out of sight, then he turned around and went back inside to prepare for his morning's work.

***

The drive to the first interview was pleasant enough, the country lanes dappled with sunlight and Heero found the offices of 'Fairbrother’s Accountants' quite easily. He parked the car and made sure he was neat and tidy before going inside. The warm smile of the receptionist put him at ease and the interview itself went pretty well in Heero's estimation. The manager, Mr. Fairbrother, seemed pleased with his credentials and didn't appear overly concerned with Heero's injury, although he did ask a lot of questions. Heero replied as honestly as he could, explaining about his fall and the doctors report. With the interview over and Mr. Fairbrother promising to let Heero know that afternoon, they shook hands and Heero left.

Glancing at his watch as he pulled into the parking area for his next interview, Heero noted he was forty five minutes early. He knew he wanted to appear keen, but not desperate! He decided to go and get a cup of coffee at the little cafe back down the road. It would pass the time and help calm the butterflies in his stomach.

Sipping on his flat white he watched the people around him as they went about their daily tasks. It was a typical country type town, the women coming in to do their shopping and catch up on the local gossip, the shop keepers providing that gossip and Heero couldn't help the smile on his face. This is why he loved the country and hated the city, it was all too much rushing around; no one had time for anything other than getting from one place to the next as quickly as possible. Here in the outer lying villages, people knew each other by name, would stop and say hello when they passed you in the street and the work all still got done.

No, Heero certainly didn't want to go back to living in the city; not if he could help it. He checked his watch again and finished his drink; by the time he walked back up the road to the offices he would be five minutes early. The sun was warm on his back, perfect riding weather he thought to himself, not that he would be riding for a while. The door to the office came into view and Heero paused at a shop window to check that his tie was straight and his hair not too messy. Since Duo had washed it so thoroughly it was behaving itself a little better. Taking a deep breath, Heero pushed the door open and entered the offices of 'Prescott and Associates'.

Ten minutes later and with a scowl on his handsome features, Heero was back out in the street. Needless to say the interview hadn't gone well. The young Mr. Prescott had taken one look at Heero's injured arm and made his mind up there and then that Heero wouldn't be suitable. He pretty much told him so too, not in so many words but clear enough for Heero to get the message. Heero wasn't even given the chance to present his credentials let alone explain about the injury. To say he was pissed would be an understatement. He was livid. He walked back down the road to the cafe and ordered another coffee, he didn't trust himself driving whilst he felt as angry as he did; no, he needed to calm down a little first.

The pub was out of the question, as much as Heero would have loved to down a cold beer he didn't, the memories of his last association with alcohol were still fresh in his mind and he didn't want a repeat performance. Far better to have a coffee and take his anger out on the little sugar sachet. It took Heero three coffees and an hour and a half to calm down enough to drive back to Duo's without risking the car or himself. When he pulled into the vet's driveway and around to the back, he wasn't surprised to see a few cars still in the parking area of the surgery. Duo should have closed by now but Heero guessed he must have had a busy morning.

Rather than disturb the vet whilst he was working, Heero got out of the car and went to the paddock to see Zero. Somehow it always helped to talk when he was upset and for so long now there had only been him and Zero that he'd taken to talking to the horse. It was calming in a way, he could give vent to his inner turmoil, thoughts and feelings without being criticized, condoned or berated. Zero simply listened, didn't offer anything other than companionship, a friendly ear and the occasional search of his person for carrots.

If Zero had replied then Heero would have seriously begun to doubt his sanity.

No doubt others would if they ever found out that he talked to a horse.

Zero was standing under the gum tree, his tail idly swishing at the flies. He gave a soft whicker of greeting when he saw his master walking across the paddock towards him and rubbed his eye against his foreleg to discourage the flies that seemed hell bent on sucking the moisture from it. As his master stopped next to him so Zero raised his head a little and rubbed against his master.

"Thanks a lot, Zero," scolded Heero as he observed the dirty mark that now adorned his shirt. He gently pulled the gray ears. "Flies giving you a hard time, hey, boy?"

Zero shook his head, scattering a few of the beasties that delighted in making his life hell only to have them return a few moments later.

"I'll have to get your fly veil [1] for you." Heero continued to stand next to his horse and gently brush the flies away from the sensitive eyes as he contemplated his morning. He remained in the paddock for a good half hour, just talking to Zero and confiding in the horse. He didn't see Duo approaching, so lost in his thoughts and it wasn't until Zero raised his head and whinnied that he realized the vet was coming towards them.

***

Duo closed the front door to the surgery and turned the sign around to read closed. He let a sigh escape and ran a hand through his bangs. It had been an unusually busy morning and quite frankly he was glad to see the back of the last client. He groaned as he looked at the paperwork sitting on the desk, all the details waiting to be logged into the computer. He really didn't feel up to sorting through it all now. What he really wanted was a nice cold drink and to sit down and put his feet up for a bit. "Ah, fuck it," he said to the computer and paperwork. "I'll do you later." Striding through to the consult room, he performed the usual clean up tasks and then hung his white coat up. Turning off the lights he exited the building and walked back towards the house. He wondered about Heero, how the interviews had gone and if the man was back yet.

Walking through the house and into the kitchen, Duo peered through the window and noticed his car there. That meant that Heero was home. "Heero?" Duo called as he went through to the hallway. He didn't receive an answer. Obviously Heero wasn't in the house so Duo headed outside. As he crossed the parking area towards the stable block he suddenly spotted Heero in the paddock with his horse and changed direction. Hands shoved in his pockets, he strolled across the grass towards the pair trying to gauge Heero's mood. As he drew close so Zero whinnied and Duo noticed Heero's head raise and a smile cross his lips. Well, that didn't look too bad.

"Hey," said Heero softly as he turned to face the vet.

"Been back long?" asked Duo.

"About half an hour or so. There were cars still in the surgery car park so I gathered you were busy and didn't want to disturb you."

"Yeah, it was a busy morning," replied Duo and ran a hand through his bangs. "Want some lunch?"

"Not really hungry."

"How did the interviews go?" Duo knew he'd struck a nerve by the way Heero flinched at the mention of the word interview. He placed a gentle hand to Heero's arm. "Come on back to the house and tell me what happened over lunch."

"Duo, I'm really not hungry."

"That's okay, you can do the talking whilst I do the eating."

Heero looked into the amused violet eyes of the vet and shook his head. "Sorry, I'm being an idiot. Come on, I'll tell you all that happened."

***

Duo munched on his sandwich whilst Heero filled him in on the morning's interviews and scowled when Heero reiterated what had happened with the Prescott guy. "Fucking asshole," snapped Duo. "Those sorts of people should be banned from hiring people."

"It wouldn't be so bad if he'd simply come out and said that given my injury they couldn't employ me at this time as they need an able bodied person but would at least look at my credentials and keep me on file should whomever they employ not work out."

"Yeah, I can see what you mean. It stinks that they have to make excuses instead of simply stating the truth."

"It just makes me so mad," said Heero and took a drink of his orange juice. "I had three coffees before I was calm enough to drive back here."

Duo snickered. "Only three? Would have taken me at least four; and they would have been double shot espressos."

Heero's eyes widened. "Shit! You'd give yourself a caffeine overdose."

Duo just grinned. "Nah, I'd be bouncing off the walls, or better still have my fist bouncing off that asshole's jaw."

Shaking his head, Heero laughed, feeling his anger drain away with Duo's antics. The 'phone in the lounge rang and Duo got up to answer it. Heero couldn't hear anything of the conversation and didn't like to listen in anyway, so he got up and fetched the carton of orange juice out from the 'fridge and refilled their glasses. Placing the carton back in the 'fridge he snagged an apple and began to eat it whilst waiting for Duo to return.

Duo walked back into the kitchen, a smile on his face.

"Good news?" asked Heero.

"In a manner of speaking it is I suppose. That was a Mr. Fairbrother."

Instantly Hero straightened in his seat. "Oh?"

"He wanted to know if I knew a Heero Yuy and what he was like," grinned Duo.

"And?" Heero's eyes shone with anticipation.

"I told him that I did, in fact he was my boyfriend, a thorough gentleman and not bad in the sack either."

"W... what!?" Heero looked shell shocked.

Duo broke into hysterical laughter. "Oh, Heero. If you could only see your face!" Duo continued to laugh as he sat down.

"You didn't!?"

"Nah, I'm just messing with you, Heero."

Heero looked very relieved.

"It was a Mr. Fairbrother though and he did ask about you so I told him the truth. I said that I'd known you for a while, that you had helped me out with the computer and reset my programs for me and that you were a hard working, honest, all round nice guy."

Heero felt his face color with those words. "Thanks."

"No worries. He sounded like a nice bloke and he at least took the trouble to call so he must have been impressed with you, Heero. I think you might stand a chance there; looks like you made it to the second round anyway," Duo said and finished off his sandwich.

"Yeah, he was a decent guy and liked what he read in my resume. You could be right, Duo. At least he didn't brush me off like the others did. He asked a lot of questions and I was honest with my answers..."

"Well, there you go then," smiled Duo and stood up to take his plate to the sink. He dropped a kiss to Heero's head as he walked past.

"I hope he calls back soon." Heero felt as if he was sitting on hot bricks now. To know that one of the interviewers had been interested enough to call for further validation of his credentials and references gave him a little more hope, and Mr. Fairbrother had seemed like a reasonable man. All Heero could do now would be to wait and see if he got a 'phone call.

***

The afternoon passed fairly quickly, despite Heero's being on tenterhooks. Duo knew his boyfriend was bound to be nervous and edgy, waiting for a 'phone call and so he did his best to keep the guy occupied. Knowing that distraction was the only way to keep his mind off the issue of Mr. Fairbrother, Heero willingly accepted the little jobs that Duo asked him to do. He patiently went through all the clients' files from the morning and loaded them onto the computer, finishing off by balancing the books for Duo. He was pleased to note that Duo's books were beginning to look reasonably healthy, at least for this week anyway.

He typed up the outstanding accounts and popped them into envelopes, carefully addressing them and putting them ready to post. With the paperwork out of the way, Heero took up Duo's offer to go with him into the town to the post office to mail off the accounts and do a little food shopping. He found it quite relaxing wandering around the store with Duo, pushing the trolley that for once decided to behave.

Purchases made, Duo loaded the bags of groceries into the car and accompanied Heero to the saddlery store so he could purchase a new fly veil for Zero. They weren't expensive and it would be cheaper to buy a new one than waste the petrol going back to his cottage to get the other one. With the fly veil bought, they headed back to the surgery.

Heero gave Duo a hand to unload and pack away the groceries, he hadn't asked about staying another night but it looked like Duo assumed he was going to, judging by what the vet left out to cook for dinner. Before Heero could question Duo, his cell 'phone rang.

Duo looked up from where he was currently rummaging around in the pantry as he heard the sound of the 'phone. He gave Heero a reassuring smile as the Asian man unclipped the 'phone and pressed the button.

"Yuy speaking."

Duo cocked an eyebrow and sank back to sit on his heels and watch his boyfriend's face, trying to gain some clue as to what was going on with the conversation.

"Yes, Mr. Fairbrother. That sounds good; no, that shouldn't be a problem. Okay, I'll see you at nine on Monday. Thank you for calling, I look forward to it. Good bye." Heero pushed the disconnect button and looked at Duo, a soft smile on his lips.

"Well?!!" Duo demanded. He could tell from Heero's face and the half conversation that it must be good news.

"That was Mr. Fairbrother."

"I gathered that much," replied Duo sarcastically. "What did he say?"

"I got the job."

"YES!" shouted Duo and pumped the air.

"But..."

"Huh? But? What do you mean, but?"

"It's only part time for the moment. I will be on a trial basis for a month working half shifts. If the shoulder heals up and I work out okay then they could extend it to full time."

"That's better than nothing, Heero," said Duo as he got up from the floor and crossed the room to his boyfriend to envelop the man in a hug and bestow a congratulatory kiss.

"At least it's a start. He did say at the interview that they were only looking for a part time person but I thought I might as well give it a shot. Gotta start somewhere and it will keep me fed if nothing else. I can always look for another full time job in the meantime."

"That you can, Heero. Like you say, it's better than nothing."

Heero could detect a touch of sadness in Duo's voice and swiftly pulled back a little. "Duo? Is something wrong?"

"No, I'm happy for you, Heero."

"I know you are but there's something bothering you."

Duo sighed, how had Heero managed to read him so well in the space of the couple of weeks that they'd known each other? "It's nothing, really."

"Spill," demanded Heero.

Seeing that he wasn't about to get out of this, he gave a sheepish smile. "I guess I'm just being selfish. Now that you're working again I won't have anyone to sort out Nrobbuts for me, log my accounts and help me out."

"Oh, Duo. I'm only going to be working the morning shifts; I can still come here and help you out if you want me too. Although it would only be in the evenings."

"Actually, if you didn't succeed in getting a job today, given the way that the surgery is beginning to grow I was going to offer you a job here with me." Duo ducked his head, crimson staining his cheeks.

Heero caught his breath as his heart melted. Duo was going to offer him a job? He raised his hand from Duo's waist to brush over the man's cheek. "Duo, that's so sweet of you but I couldn't take money from you. I love helping you out in the surgery and even though I'm going to be working again, I'd still like to help you out if you'll let me, only I don't want paying for it."

"I'd really like that, Heero, and we can discuss payment later as I don't expect you to work for free." Seeing that Hero was about to protest again, Duo quickly kissed the other man to shut him up. When they surfaced for air, Heero was so dazzled that he forgot all about Duo's insistence on paying him.

"This calls for a celebration, Heero. How about after evening surgery I take you out for dinner?"

"That's awfully sweet of you, Duo, but..."

"No buts! I insist, okay? Now, let's get the rest of these groceries put away as evening consults start in an hour and we still have Zero to bring in and do his leg."

"Hai." Heero grasped Duo's arm as the vet went to walk away. "Arigato, Duo. Ai shiteru."

Duo cocked his head. "More Japanese?" he questioned.

"Hai."

"What does that one mean?"

Heero gave him a warm smile. "You'll have to look that one up for yourself," he said with a merry twinkle in his eye.

"Ahh... Okay then." Duo gave a grin and went back to the groceries.

"Ai shiteru, Duo," Heero whispered again. "Forever and always."

~ * ~ 

tbc.........

[1] Fly veil;: Nifty little invention that's usually a series of thick 'strings' attached to a band that fits across the horses brow and attaches to the halter to keep the flies out of their eyes. Nowadays here in Aus we have something a bit better which is a fine mesh with a Velcro fastening. A strap slides behind the ears whilst the Velcro fastens under the horse’s jaw and completely encases the eyes and half the face. The horse can still see out with no problem but the flies can't get in.

To see what a fly veil looks like try these sites below.

http://store.horseandstable.com/flyeyecovers.html   
http://tackoutlet.com/store/discount_saddles/category_59_Fly_Control_page_1.html  
http://www.buckaroo.biz/acatalog/Protection_Against_Flies.html


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Three weeks had passed since Heero started working at Fairbrothers. Heero quickly fell into the routine of the office, working Monday to Friday from nine until one. He started out slow, the boss giving him the more boring jobs to begin with, but Heero didn't mind. He gathered that his boss was doing it for two reasons. Firstly to ease him into the company and not stress his injury and secondly to see how well he coped. So far Heero had managed quite well and Mr. Fairbrother seemed happy with his work. After leaving his job, Heero would head out to Duo's and help the vet with any afternoon surgery and the evening consults as well as the treatment of Zero.

Zero.

A smile found Heero's lips as he thought about his horse whilst driving through the country lanes on his way back to his cottage. With Duo's patient treatment, Zero was showing good signs of improvement. He was hardly limping at all now and the swelling had just about disappeared. This though, Heero knew was the crucial part. Many riders had make the mistake of thinking that the injury has healed and begin to tone down their treatment of the injured animal and then put the horse back into work only to have the animal completely break down after a week or two. No, it was vital that Zero continue with his treatment until all traces of lameness were gone and then continue for at least another two weeks afterwards. Heero knew he was still looking at roughly two months before he could start to give Zero any sort of work at all, and then it would be very slow and non taxing.

He frowned a little as he drove down the main road that would lead him to his own village. Duo still hadn't given him the account for Zero's treatment and whilst he knew that Duo had said he wouldn't bill him until the horse was sound again, Heero couldn't help but worry a little over how much it would be. Oh, he knew that Duo had no intentions of charging him what he should; he'd already had words with the vet about that, stating that Duo was to charge him the same as he would any other client. Just because they were a couple didn't mean that Heero was about to take advantage of the vet's generous heart. Even if Duo only charged him for the drugs, feed, stabling and costs of the x-rays and nothing for Duo's time, the bill would still be large. Heero guessed from what he knew of Duo's pricing from the work he'd done for the vet that the bill should be towards the higher end of the hundreds by now. He just wished that Duo would give him some indication and then at least Heero could start to pay some of it off. Even with his part time job at Fairbrothers, Heero was beginning to worry about his financial affairs.

He hadn't said anything to Duo about his money, or rather diminishing bank account. With the bills he had to pay the money didn't go far and Heero was getting concerned that he wouldn't be able to pay his vet bill. He pulled into the driveway of his cottage and cut the engine. He tended to spend most of his time at Duo's now, rarely sleeping here in the cottage anymore. It just seemed easier. Most evenings after the consults were finished they would eat dinner together and then collapse exhausted onto the couch for a little bit of a cuddle and watch some television before going to bed. Sometimes the cuddling led to a little petting but so far they hadn't ventured past fondling each other and the occasional, mutual masturbation. Heero was content enough with that. He wouldn't deny that he'd like more; hell, he'd have to be a complete moron not to want Duo in every way possible; but that was up to Duo. Heero wouldn't push the vet into anything he wasn't comfortable with; Duo would let him know when the time was right to take things further.

Heero got out of the car and walked towards the house. His shoulder was healing nicely and the doctor had removed the sling a couple of weeks ago. The strapping was still there, although not as strong as before and he was doing slow exercises with the shoulder that the physiotherapist had given him. So far everything was looking good. The shoulder was losing a lot of the stiffness that had come from it being immobile for so long and he was slowly utilizing his hand again. He put the key into the lock and turned it.

Opening the front door and stepping inside, Heero noticed the piece of paper lying on the floor. He bent to pick it up and scanned the writing. His heart almost stopped and he felt a cold chill spread through his body. He read the words again before walking through the cottage to the kitchen to get himself a drink and analyze the letter. With his glass of cold water in his hand, Heero sat at the kitchen table and read the letter again, unsure at first if he wasn't hallucinating. Having read the paper three times now and the words hadn't changed in any way; Heero knew it wasn't a trick of his eyesight. He put the paper down and rested his head in his hands. _What the fuck was he going to do now?_ He looked at the paper again and the words seemed to leap off the page at him.

”Notice of Termination of Lease"

There was no denying it, the paper clearly stated he was hereby given fourteen days in which to vacate the premises. Running his fingers through his bangs, Heero sighed. His rent was usually deducted straight from his bank account and as far as he knew, he'd had enough money in there to cover it. He couldn't understand what had happened, why the landlord would want to terminate the agreement. He was certain that the rent had been deducted when he'd checked his balance a couple of days ago. Another sigh escaped his lips and he scraped the chair back as he stood and went through to the lounge room where his lap top resided. Booting the machine up, he logged onto the Internet and called up his bank account details. When the information finally scrolled up on the screen, Heero felt his blood run cold. His account was in a very sorry looking state.

He checked the past month's incoming and outgoing transactions and soon discovered where his money had disappeared to. Besides the rent, which had come out, there was a debit for insurance, a payment to his credit card and the monthly installment on the loan for the purchase of his horse float. Given the outgoing expenses and what income he had from his part time job, he was falling roughly three hundred dollars short of meeting those expenses each month; and that three hundred dollars had to come from somewhere.

Unfortunately that somewhere was his savings.

Heero growled to himself for being so blind as to not have taken greater notice of his own financial affairs. He was an accountant, dammit! He was supposed to be able to keep track of finances. How the hell could he possibly do a good job on other peoples accounts if he couldn't even balance his own books? He knew he'd been distracted, all the stress and worry over Zero and getting a job, then there was his relationship with Duo as well, but Heero knew he couldn't blame any of that for the sad state of his financial affairs. He'd done this to himself, he had no one else to blame but his own ignorance for not having taken more notice of his monetary situation.

But that wasn't going to solve his problem. He shut down the lap top and picked up the 'phone. He needed to ring the landlord and find out what the hell was going on.

***

Duo pushed back from the computer and rubbed his temples trying to ease the headache that was slowly invading his brain. Grimacing slightly he quickly logged in the last of the information and then shut the machine down. Since Heero had modified the program he found it much easier to use the contraption and having Heero working the reception area of an evening was also a great help. Still, he didn't expect Heero to do all the work so Duo tried to have all the morning client details logged into the thing before he left the surgery for lunch and his afternoon surgery or visits. So far he hadn't done too bad a job, if he did say so himself.

Giving a stretch to his aching shoulders, Duo stood up and exited the surgery, heading back to the house to make lunch. Heero would be here soon and Duo couldn't deny the thrill that passed down his spine with the thought of his boyfriend. Duo had grown accustomed to having Heero around and had to admit that he liked it. It was nice to have someone to share a meal with, discuss the day's activities over a cup of coffee whilst curled up on the lounge chair watching an old movie. The affection that Heero lavished upon him was also welcomed; Duo had never been properly courted before and he adored the way that Heero treated him. Whilst he wasn't treated like a girl, Heero let him know in subtle ways that Duo was cared about, that Heero respected him and his opinions and didn't try to belittle him or put him down in any way. He'd suffered through that before and came to the conclusion that it was his hair that caused the problem. Most men that he'd dated seemed to see him as feminine and therefore submissive; they soon found out though that Duo didn't simply drop his pants and spread his legs because they expected him to. No, those types had quickly found out that Duo was far from submissive.

Duo allowed a smile to grace his lips. Heero hadn't treated him any other way than as an equal and a man. He quickly went out to the paddock to check on Zero, the horse was making a wonderful recovery, much better than Duo had hoped. Still, these next couple of weeks could be crucial. The treatment still had to be continued despite the horse's seemingly 'normal' state. To relax now could prove the undoing of an otherwise complete recovery; and Duo wasn't about to let Heero down. He knew just how much Heero hoped to compete in the higher grades, how his goal was to catch the eye of the selectors and Duo was as equally determined to see Heero's goal come to fruition.

He checked Zero's leg, the bandage remaining off now during the day, and suffered the horse's searching of his person for carrots. His vegetable garden was almost ready to be planted and Duo had no doubt that the first thing he would be planting in it would be carrot seeds. How the hell Heero managed to keep up with the horse's obsession for the orange vegetable was beyond Duo's understanding. He'd never known an animal to love the things so much! If Zero didn't get at least four a day he would sulk. Duo hadn't believed Heero when he'd first told him about the horse's ability to sulk but he'd soon had his eyes opened when they had run out of carrots and Duo hadn't been able to get his order into the feed store before the delivery time cut off.

To see the gray stallion standing in the corner of his stable, head lowered and a sour look on his face had amazed him. What was even funnier was when Heero went into the stable and Zero kept turning away from him, completely ignoring his master. When Zero discovered that Duo didn't have any carrots either the horse had stuck his head in the feed bin and refused to budge. Needless to say, Duo made sure not to run out of carrots again.

"There you go, my son," said Duo softly as he gave Zero the carrot he'd put in his pocket prior to coming out to check the horse. "Nearly all better. Keep this up and you can go back into work in four weeks." Duo idly patted the horse's neck as he spoke.

Zero responded by blowing through his nostrils and looking hopeful.

"Sorry, no more for now," chuckled Duo and giving the horse on last pat he turned to go back to the house, glancing at his watch as he walked. It was nearly one thirty. Duo washed his hands and made himself a toasted sandwich, leaving the items out to make one for Heero when he got back. He'd said he was stopping back at his cottage after work so Duo didn't expect him until after two. Cleaning up from lunch, Duo thought he might as well do some washing as he hadn't anything booked in for surgery that afternoon. He collected the hamper from the bathroom and took it through to the laundry and set it on the floor, sorting through the clothes and popping them into piles. With the clothing sorted he placed a load in the machine and added the soap powder before closing the lid. Pressing the buttons to select the water level, temperature and length of wash, he pressed the start button.

Nothing.

"Huh? Come on, Gertrude," he said to the washing machine, "fill up and get washing."

The machine remained stubbornly silent.

Duo fiddled with the settings, changing them around, turning the switch off and then on again but the machine refused to fill with water. "Fucking heap of shit!" growled Duo as he gave the machine a thump and began to lift the lid. Suddenly the machine gave a grinding sound and the water began to flow through the pipes and into it. Unfortunately Duo had just opened the lid enough and the force of the water as it hit the pile of dirty clothes caused some of the water to shoot back up and hit him square in the face.

The water he could handle.

It was the soap powder that went with it that he objected to.

"Agghhh! Ow! That fucking stings!" he yelled as he dropped the lid to the machine and clutched at his eyes trying to wipe them free of water and soap powder. That wasn't working and so with watering eyes, Duo managed to blink his way back through the house to the bathroom where he bent down over the sink and ran cold water over his burning eyes, flushing the soap powder out. At least five minutes had elapsed before Duo felt he'd gotten all the soap from his eyes and he shut the tap off. Grabbing a towel, he gently wiped at them and then checked for damage in the bathroom mirror.

"And you said that vanity wasn't one of your faults."

Duo blinked and gave a startled look. He stared at the mirror and saw Heero's form, leaning against the door jamb, arms crossed reflected in it. "Uh."

Heero chuckled and uncrossed his arms stepping into the bathroom. "What happened?" He could tell something was wrong, the redness of Duo's eyes was a dead giveaway.

Giving a sheepish smile, Duo turned around to face his boyfriend. "Umm... Minor altercation with Gertrude."

"Gertrude?" _Who the hell was Gertrude?_ Heero thought to himself. He didn't recall Duo having a patient by that name, although it could be one of his patients' owners names, but why the red eyes?

"Yeah, Gertrude; the washing machine."

"Your washing machine is called Gertrude?" Heero resisted the temptation to roll his eyes. First it was Nruobbuts for the computer, then Fido for the vacuum cleaner and now Gertrude for the washing machine? If Heero didn't know the vet any better he'd be seriously considering a psyche evaluation for the man.

"I was putting a load in to wash but Gertrude didn't want to play ball and wash. I thumped the thing and lifted the lid. Unfortunately she decided to cooperate and began to fill with water."

Heero raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, some of the water spurted back up and kinda got me in the face, along with a dose of washing powder."

Heero couldn't help it. The look on Duo's face as he confessed to being attacked by a washing machine was too cute for words. He broke into laughter.

"That's right, go ahead and laugh at my expense," huffed Duo and pouted.

That only made Heero laugh harder. "You have to admit, Duo, it is funny. You, being attacked by a washing machine." Heero dissolved into another fit of laughter.

Shaking his head, Duo watched as Heero chuckled away. Soon he was joining in with the mirth. When he thought about it, it was kind of amusing.

Getting his laughter under control, Heero finally managed to regain enough breath to speak properly. "Are you all right?"

"I'll live."

Feeling a little annoyed with himself for finding Duo's predicament funny, Heero approached and gently took Duo's face in his hands. "Here, let me see." He studied the vet's eyes carefully, noting the redness there. "Does it still sting?"

"No. I think I managed to flush all of the soap out."

"Looks sore," stated Heero. "Got any eye drops?"

"In the first aid box under the sink."

Heero fetched the first aid kit out and found the drops. "Tilt your head back a little," he said and then proceeded to squeeze the small bottle, depositing two drops into each eye.

Duo blinked as the drops landed and tears began to form, leaking from the corner of his eyes to run down the side of his face.

"They should help," Heero said as he replaced the bottle in the first aid kit and put the kit back under the sink. He turned back to the vet and gently caught the seeping tears with his thumb, brushing them away from Duo's skin. "Want me to kiss it better?"

Duo gave a soft moan.

Heero leaned forward and tilted Duo's head slightly. Gently he pressed his lips to Duo's closed eyelids, first kissing one and then the other eye before trailing down to Duo's lips and kissing them.

"Mmm... My lips weren't hurt," he murmured softly as he wound his arms around Heero's waist.

"Just making sure. Didn't want them to feel left out," replied Heero huskily.

"I think I might need a second course of treatment."

"I agree." Heero swooped in again, taking Duo's lips in a gentle kiss.

When they finally parted Duo was feeling a lot better. He checked his eyes again, the drops really were soothing and despite the redness he felt a lot more comfortable. "Thanks, Heero."

"You're welcome, Duo. Now, would you like me to sort Gertrude out for you?"

"Nah, she's behaving now so I think we leave well enough alone," grinned Duo. "Come on, I'll fix you some lunch and you can tell me all about your morning." 

Heero felt his blood run cold again. His morning. He knew he should tell Duo what was going on, but he didn't know how. He followed the swinging braid of hair out to the kitchen.

***

Heero ate the toasted sandwich that Duo made for him and tried to keep the conversation away from his own morning, asking Duo about his instead. The braided vet was only too happy to fill Heero in on the varied patients he'd seen so far today. He had Heero laughing again when he was telling him about Mr. Bradshaw and his dog Toby. Seemed Toby didn't like the vet hospital and being a rather large Rotweiller, he was also a very strong dog.

As Duo described how Toby had high tailed it out the door, dragging a Mr. Bradshaw behind before the man had even had a chance to get into the surgery properly, had the tears running down Heero's face.

"So you didn't even get a chance to find out what was wrong with Toby?"

"Nah, he was pretty much out of there before I could even say hello. I guess I'll be getting a 'phone call to make a home visit if Mr. Bradshaw can't get him back in for evening consults," replied Duo as he sat opposite Heero, chin resting in his hand as he watched his boyfriend eat. Duo could tell there was something on Heero's mind, the man was a little preoccupied. Oh, he was listening to Duo all right, he just wasn't volunteering any information about his own morning which Duo found to be unusual. Filing it away in his mind to ask Heero about later, he left the man to continue eating and went to put the finished washing on the line.

Duo didn't get a chance to talk to Heero until later that afternoon when they were tending to Zero's leg. Duo was rubbing the liniment in whilst Heero stood at the horse's head, feeding the usual carrots to the greedy animal.

"You're awfully quiet this afternoon, Heero. Anything wrong?" Duo began the conversation cautiously.

Heero jolted out of his musings as Duo spoke. "Uh, sorry. Just thinking."

"Want to share?" asked Duo as he straightened up and fetched the bandage.

Heero chewed on his bottom lip for a moment, contemplating if or how he should tell Duo.

"Look, if you'd rather not tell me that's fine. I don't mean to pry," said Duo softly as he bandaged the horse's leg. "I just thought that if you've got a problem or something then it can help to share it, sometimes two heads are better than one when it comes to finding a solution."

"It's okay, Duo,” began Heero softly. "I want to tell you, I'm just not sure how to."

Duo felt as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over him. It sounded distinctly like Heero wanted to break up with him. Had Heero found someone else? Is that what he was trying to say? That he'd met someone whom he liked better? Or would perhaps offer Heero the sex that Duo couldn't seem to give yet? He sighed as he tied off the bandage. "Heero..." Duo began but wasn't sure how to voice his words.

Heero led the horse out of the crush and into his stable. 

"Heero..." Duo tried again. "Look, if you've found someone else and you want to break up with me then that's okay, I understand..."

"What?!" Heero was absolutely stunned. "NO!" Heero spun around and grabbed Duo by the arm. "No! I haven't found anyone else. How could you think that?"

"Well, usually when someone says that they don't know how to tell someone something it usually means that they're breaking up with you." Duo looked positively miserable.

"Oh, Duo." Heero pulled the vet into his arms and held him close. He ran a hand along the vet's back as he nuzzled against Duo's throat. "No, I haven't found anyone else, I don't want anyone else, I only want you, Duo. I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. Duo, I've fallen completely in love with you, you're the only person I've ever cared about like this."

Duo felt his heart swell and tears find his eyes. Heero loved him? If that was the case then what the hell was it that Heero was having trouble telling him? "Are you going to tell me what's wrong then or am I going to have to torture you?"

Heero drew in a shaky breath and pulled back a little from the embrace. He lowered his eyes and began to speak, deciding the best thing to do would be to just come out and say it. "I have to find somewhere to live. My landlord has given me fourteen days to move out."

Of all the things that Duo had expected Heero to say, this wasn't one of them. "Why?" he blurted out before he'd had a chance to organize his thoughts.

"He's selling the property." Heero had called the landlord and spoken with him in depth as to the notice of termination. The landlord had been sympathetic but as he'd told Heero, his age was going against him and he wanted to move into a retirement village. 

"What for? I thought you had a long lease on the place," stated Duo.

"So did I," replied Heero dryly.

"Come back up to the house, Heero. I think we need to sit down and discuss this properly and the stables aren’t the place to do it." Duo gently led Heero back to the house and settled him on the couch. Sitting down next to him, Duo took Heero's hand in his own and stroked his thumb over the back of it. "Okay, now start at the beginning and tell me what's going on."

"When I stopped by the cottage today on my way home there was a ‘Termination of Lease’ paper waiting for me. At first I thought it was a joke, then I thought that maybe my rent was in arrears but I checked my bank account and it's been paid. I rang the landlord." Heero paused for a moment and looked at Duo. "He's getting on in years and can't cope with the house he's living in anymore. He wants to move into a retirement village but in order to do so, he has to buy one of the units there. Putting it bluntly, he needs to sell the property and his house to be able to afford to move into the retirement village."

"Ah." Now Duo understood a little better.

"That's not all of it though."

"Oh?" Duo quirked an eyebrow.

"I don't have enough money to be able to afford to rent another place with acreage for Zero, not on the wages I'm getting from Fairbrothers. I need to either find another job, sell Zero or move to a small house and agist Zero out, something I can't really afford to do either." Now that he'd admitted the sad state of his financial affairs, Heero didn't feel any better.

The implications of what Heero was saying hit Duo like a brick wall. "Your financial situation that bad, hey?" Duo really wasn't intending to pry, it wasn't any of his business what Heero did with his money.

"Let's just say it's been healthier. Some accountant I am, hey? Can't even keep track of my own incomings and outgoings," Heero sighed and dropped his head. What the hell must Duo think of him now?

Duo sat in silence for a while, contemplating what Heero had just said. He already knew what he was going to do; the problem was going to be getting Heero to accept his proposal. Duo thought about how best to put his proposition to Heero without the other man being offended or thinking that Duo was offering him charity. Finally making up his mind, Duo spoke.

"Heero, I've been thinking. Now, before you object or say anything at all, hear me out, please."

Heero frowned but nodded anyway. He had a rough idea of what Duo was going to say but he could at least extend the courtesy of hearing the vet out before he voiced his opposition. "Okay," he said softly.

"There isn't much you can do about the rent situation, if the landlord wants to sell the place then other than putting in an offer for it yourself there isn't any other option but to move. Now, you're already spending most of your time here at my place and I have the spare bedroom there so why don't you move in permanently? There's the stable block and paddocks out the back so Zero will be okay and he's settled in pretty well already. I'm not too sure about your furniture though, I don't really have a lot of room but we can work something out in that department later."

Heero was about to object when Duo carried on.

"It really would make more sense, Heero. You will be able to save some money on rent..."

"I won't sponge off you, Duo. You've already done far too much for me as it is," Heero protested.

"I wasn't suggesting anything of the sort, Heero. What I was going to say was the work you do for me in the surgery of an evening you flatly refuse to take payment for. Why don't you continue to work with me and instead of me paying you a wage, you work for your board and lodging?"

"You mean you would have me stay here and feed me in return for me working for you in the evenings?"

"That's the general idea. I really need an assistant in the office and you're so good with that damn computer that I think I'd be lost without you. If you do go getting another job or a full time position I'll have to employ someone and pay them so it makes sense to pay you in the form of a place to stay. What do you think?" Duo chewed on his lip as he tried to study Heero's face and get an idea of what the other man was thinking. Heero's face remained blank so he didn't really get much indication at all as to how his proposal had been accepted.

Heero thought about what Duo had said; the words really did make sense, now if only he could persuade his pride to take a back seat. What Duo was offering him wasn't charity, wasn't a hand out. It was nothing more than a business proposition. "Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have offered if I didn't mean it, Heero." Duo gave his boyfriend a warm smile.

"Okay, I'll accept, but on one condition."

"And what's that?"

"You let me pay for Zero's feed and agistment."

"Feed, yes. Agistment, no."

"Huh?"

"That horse of yours can put away carrots like a plague of rabbits so I don't mind you paying for the feed in the least. The agistment though, no. He's no trouble at all to have here, Heero, and now that your shoulder is nearly healed you're doing most of his stable work anyway. Besides, if he wasn't in the paddock keeping the grass down I'd have to get out there and mow it so it doesn't become a fire hazard so he's doing me a favor by eating it."

Heero chuckled. "I don't know what to say, Duo." 

"Just say yes," replied Duo in a breathy tone. "I'd love to have the pair of you here on a permanent basis, Heero." Blue eyes that were misted with tears were suddenly staring at him and Duo felt himself warming all over. He leaned in close, pausing with his lips scant millimeters from Heero's. "I love you too, Heero," he breathed and then took the accountant's lips in a passionate kiss.

When they broke apart for air, Heero couldn't believe how tight his chest and throat felt. Never in all his days had he come across a person quite like Duo. He studied the vet's face intently, reading nothing but sincerity there. "Yes," he whispered softly and kissed the vet's lips this time. "Yes, Duo, I'd love to move in."

"Good. I'm glad that's settled then. Now, when do you want to start moving your stuff over?"

Heero smiled. Trust Duo to be the efficient one and start organizing him straight away. As Duo continued to chatter idly about moving Heero's things so Heero's mind wandered to how much his life had altered in the past few weeks. He wouldn't have changed any of it.

~ * ~ 

tbc......


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

It didn't take Duo long to get Heero and his packing organized. Once the decision had been made and the new routine was worked out; Heero had exactly twelve days left from the date of the serving of the notice to vacate the premises, not a great deal of time but enough. Having a rough idea of the amount of furniture and possessions that Heero had, Duo suggested that each day after work at Fairbrothers, Heero go back to the cottage and pack as much as he could into boxes. On the days when Duo didn't have anything booked in for afternoon surgery, he would meet Heero at the cottage and give him a hand. The boxes were then loaded into the car and driven to Duo's where Heero would unpack what he could after evening consults.

There wasn't a great deal in the way of household items and clothing and Heero had most of it at Duo's within four days. They had agreed to leave the furniture until the weekend and then to save on costs they would use the horse float of Heero's to transport the furniture over. Rather than clutter Duo's house unnecessarily, Heero decided to put most of his furniture into storage and had rented a large storage unit in the village from a company that specialized in hiring out units for that purpose. It was cheap enough and meant peace of mind as the place was under twenty-four hour security as well.

Most of Heero's packing entailed Zero's things.

"Fuck, Heero. This horse of yours has more shit than you and I put together," stated Duo as he stood inside the tack shed with Heero.

"Umm..… You do tend to gather a bit of stuff over the years," replied Heero sheepishly as he surveyed the gear he had. Besides the jumping saddle, bridle, grooming kit, rugs and bandages that were already at Duo's from his accident at the show, the tack shed still looked like it could rival a well stocked saddlers. 

There were three bridles hanging up, another two saddles on the saddle rack, several rugs hanging over a low beam and when Duo opened up the cupboard he nearly had a heart attack. "Exactly how much shit have you got here, Heero?" he asked as his eyes roved over the spare pieces of leather, lead ropes, bandages, jumping boots, brushes and numerous other items.

"Too much by the look of it," said Heero as he peered over Duo's shoulder. "Think I need to have a bit of a spring clean."

"No shit!"

"I'll sort through it and anything that I don't really need I'll put to one side; there's usually a trash and treasure [1] each month in the village, I can take it down there, set up a stall and sell a lot of it."

"Makes sense." Duo turned around. "I'll let you sort that lot out then," he said with a smile and gave Heero a kiss. "I'll go load up the other gear."

Heero shook his head in amusement but let his boyfriend go and concentrated on sorting through years of accumulated gear.

***

Eight days later they had all of Heero's things out and either at Duo's or the storage facility. They went back once more to give the cottage a clean through, check that they hadn't left anything behind and hand over the keys. They also picked up the bond money that Heero had paid and Heero took Duo out for dinner to thank the vet for all his help.

Once Heero was settled in at Duo's on a permanent basis so life began to take on a routine. Each morning they would rise, Duo would make breakfast while Heero fed his horse and cleaned out the stable. Once breakfast was done, they would attend to Zero's leg and then Heero would leave for his job at Fairbrothers. Duo would potter around the house performing his usual morning clean up before heading to the surgery for morning consults.

Lunch would be waiting when Heero got back and afterwards Heero would either assist Duo with any afternoon surgery or help out with household chores. Zero was attended to again in the evening before the pair of them would open the surgery for the evening consults, Heero working the reception area and assisting Duo if he needed help. They took it in turns to cook dinner and Duo was surprised by Heero's culinary skills. Whilst Duo tended to keep the meals he cooked simple but still nutritious and enjoyable, Heero would branch out a little and try different things. Duo didn't mind being a guinea pig for these little experiments, he loved Heero's cooking.

Once the dishes were done they usually sat and watched some television, snuggling on the couch, making out from time to time. Sometimes Heero would bring work home from the office with him and boot up his lap top, finishing off what he had to do whilst Duo watched a movie. 

The clients had all accepted Heero and warmed to the young, quiet man. He was efficient and yet compassionate in his dealings with the clients, something they appeared to appreciate. Several engaged him in conversation and he learnt a little more about the wide and varied population of Salsbury and surrounding villages. As many of the clients discovered Heero's true vocation so he found himself with requests for his expertise. Duo was delighted when Heero informed him that he'd had a couple of requests for his services on peoples’ books. Duo had told him to go for it, but to make sure he charged for his work. So Heero did.

After living with Duo for two months he was beginning to get himself out of his financial down slide, working at Fairbrothers in the morning and freelancing in the afternoons, evenings and weekends. He'd started to build up quite a nice little following for himself and the money all helped to bring his bank balance to a healthier level.

Zero had improved in leaps and bounds and Heero had started to take the horse for walks around the country lanes to start to exercise the leg a little. He didn't ride him yet, opting to begin by leading Zero and slowly build the muscles back up.

Yes, life was certainly beginning to look up and Heero had never been happier.

Duo was also content with his lot. Heero's help in the surgery of an evening was a godsend to him. The practice was growing steadily, most consulting hours were full and they had started to take appointments to help with the flow of things. All was working fine, with the new system being accepted and welcomed by the clients. Afternoon surgeries were also getting busier and Duo found that most days he had a patient booked in for some type of procedure. He didn't mind, he loved his work and having Heero with him made it even more enjoyable.

When Heero had been approached by several people to audit their books for them he'd been pleased and told Heero to go for it. It helped the man's finances and gave him a sense of self worth, something Duo had decided that Heero was lacking in after his disappointment over the various jobs due to his injury.

Heero's shoulder had completely healed now and whilst there was still a little stiffness there, it was improving daily. They had just closed the surgery one evening when there was a pounding on the door and yells for help. Heero immediately opened the door as he was closest to it, sweeping the waiting room floor, Duo hot on his heels. A young man staggered through the doorway a dog wrapped in a blanket in his arms.

"Are you the vet?" the man asked in a panicked tone.

"I'm Doctor Maxwell," replied Duo as he stepped forward. "What happened?" Already Duo's eyes were raking over the form of the dog, or what he could see of it; the blood seeping through the blanket indicating that there was more to the dog's condition than he could currently see.

"It's Goldie..."

Duo began to steer the man in the direction of the consulting room, motioning for Heero to follow them. "What happened to Goldie?" Duo asked as he helped the man to place the dog on the table and carefully peeled the blanket back to expose the dog.

"He... I was taking him for a run when he chased a rabbit out onto the road... A car came..." The man was clearly choked with emotion.

Heero had to look away briefly as Duo revealed a golden Labrador, a majestic dog under normal circumstances, but there was nothing majestic about Goldie at the moment. The poor dog's fur was matted with blood and even Heero could tell that there was severe damage to the hind limb.

"Easy, Goldie," murmured Duo as he probed around for a better look at the injuries. He checked the dog all over, finding only a badly fractured hind leg and lacerations; but it was the fracture that looked grotesque and was responsible for all the blood. When the femur had broken it had torn through muscle and skin, the jagged piece of bone poking out and glinting under the surgery lights.

"Can you help him?" the man asked as he averted his eyes.

"It's a very nasty break, Mr..."

"Morton."

"You can see that the bone fracture is exposed. I can fix it but he will require an extensive operation to repair the damage..."

"I don't care what it costs, if you can help him, please... do it. He's a family pet, means the world to the wife and son," Mr. Morton said softly as he stroked the dog's head.

A tail wagged briefly.

"I'll do everything I can, Mr. Morton," replied Duo. Already his mind was racing through the procedure he would need to follow to fix the leg. He returned his gaze to the dog's owner. "If you would go back out with Heero here and give him all your details, I'll take Goldie through to the operating theater now and get started. It will take a while so I suggest you go home and I will ring you after the surgery is complete and let you know the result."

Mr Morton nodded and gently stroked the dog's head again before turning to face Duo. "Thank you."

Duo gave the man a warm smile. "I'll call you as soon as I'm finished. I'm certain we can fix this and have Goldie as good as new for you."

"This way please, Mr. Morton," said Heero as he gestured towards the door.

With one last look at the dog, Mr. Morton followed Heero out of the consulting room and back to the reception area.

Heero dealt with the formalities as efficiently as he could, knowing that the man was obviously worried about his dog. Name, address, telephone number and the dog's details were quickly logged into the computer and once he'd finished Heero gave Mr. Morton one of Duo's business cards. "Rest assured, Mr. Morton, Doctor Maxwell is an excellent vet and will make sure that Goldie is treated in the best possible way. The operation will probably take a couple of hours so go home and try to keep yourself occupied, Doctor Maxwell will call you as soon as Goldie is out of surgery and let you know how he's doing."

"Thank you," replied Mr. Morton. He was obviously dazed by the turn of events but duly took the offered card and slipped it into his wallet. "I'll wait to hear from you." He turned and headed for the door, a slump to his shoulders. Heero followed him.

Locking the surgery door behind the man, Heero quickly turned off the lights and headed for the operating room, Duo would need his help.

Duo had succeeded in transferring Goldie to the operating room and fetched a set of sterilized instruments from the cabinet. Picking up the bottle of anesthetic, he quickly clipped away the hair on the foreleg and inserted the needle. As the drug flowed into the dog's blood stream so the animal began to relax and slumped, asleep and free from pain on the table. Duo looked up as Heero walked in. "Get all the details?"

"Hai. How's the dog? You think you can repair the damage?" Heero washed his hands and grabbed another of the white coats from the back of the door before fetching a pair of latex gloves and slipping them on.

Now that the dog was anaesthetized, Duo could inspect the injury without worrying about causing the dog any pain. "It's going to be tricky but I'm sure we can fix Goldie up." Duo gently probed around the exposed bone, seeking out the torn flesh and determining his best strategy. "Firstly we need to clip away the hair so I can see the damage to the skin and muscles; hopefully there aren't any bone fragments in there..."

Heero prepared himself for a long, messy operation.

***

Two hours and ten minutes later Duo inserted the last stitch and dropped the needle into the kidney dish. He straightened up slowly, his back aching, bangs stuck to his face with sweat but at least the break was fixed and the torn skin and muscles neatly stitched back together. "Just need to pop on a cast now and Goldie can go into the kennels," said Duo in a tired voice.

Heero was equally as tired and rubbed his eyes before picking up the kidney dish with the used instruments in it and taking it to the sink to wash before putting into the autoclave. His mind was still focused on the amazing skills that Duo had displayed when repairing the damage. The vet truly was wonderful, in his opinion anyway. Duo had x-rayed the leg and then carefully cut through the torn flesh, tidying the wound up as he went, to locate the other end of the broken femur. Bringing the two ends back together he'd had to pin and plate the bone to ensure that it stayed in place to heal. Heero had been stunned at the tiny size of the screws and the dexterity with which Duo's fingers worked. He'd patiently assisted Duo, passing him the requested instruments, swabbing when necessary and flushing the wound site with saline, all the time keeping an eye on the dog's breathing and heart rate. Watching Duo perform such intricate surgery only re-enforced his knowledge that Duo truly did care for animals.

Duo fetched the plaster of paris bandages whilst Heero collected the water. With the bandages soaking, Duo applied betadine to the stitches and covered the wound site with a thick layer of gauze. A soft, cotton bandage followed and then a slightly coarser one. Once the protective bandages were in place, Duo removed the first of the plaster bandages and began to wrap them around the leg. It didn't take long for him to completely encase the area and thus immobilize the leg. Heero washed out the container whilst Duo tapped gently at the cast from time to time, checking on the hardening process. As the plaster solidified so Goldie began to come out of the anesthetic. Once Duo was satisfied that the cast was hard enough and the dog alert enough, they carried the animal between them to the kennels and made the dog comfortable, then Duo went to phone Mr. Morton whilst Heero finished cleaning up the operating room.

"All done," said Heero as a weary Duo stopped in the doorway. "The owner okay?"

"Yeah. I told him about the pinning and plating and that it will be roughly six weeks before the cast can come off. He seemed... relieved."

"You look dead on your feet, Duo. Come on, I'm taking you back to the house and putting you to bed after you've had a shower, dinner and a hot drink."

"Yes, mother," chuckled Duo. "Hey, you look exhausted yourself."

"I'm not quite as tired as you so no more arguing, just do as you're told and everything will be fine." Heero wrapped an arm around Duo's waist and they walked slowly back to the house. 

True to his word, Heero made a quick dinner of spaghetti on toast, nothing fancy but at least it was hot and filled the stomach. Duo took his ordered shower and eagerly devoured the food and waiting cup of tea. He yawned and looked at the clock. "Fuck! It's eleven thirty, no wonder I'm falling asleep."

"It's been a busy evening, Duo. Why don't you go to bed? I'll finish up the dishes."

Duo stood and walked over to where Heero still sat. He bent down and kissed Heero soundly. "You're a life saver, Heero. Thanks for all your help with the operation and for cooking me dinner."

"You're most welcome, Duo, and I didn't do much in regards to the operation, you did all the work. How the hell you knew what to do is beyond me."

Duo smiled at his boyfriend. "That's what I spent all those years at university for; but, you know something, Heero?"

"No. What?"

"All the theory, text books and practice on deceased animals, whilst good enough in itself will never amount to anything other than an ordinary vet. To be truly good at what you do, vet science, doctor, gardener, doesn't matter what vocation you choose, you need to have a love for it. That's where the difference lies between average and good. Now, that bout of philosophical thinking has drained the last of my mental reserves so I'm going to bed." Duo pressed another kiss to Heero's lips. "Thanks again for the help and I'll see you in the morning."

Heero watched as his boyfriend disappeared down the hallway to his bedroom and then shook his head softly, a smile playing on his lips. "Then you are an excellent vet, Duo; you don't have a love for it and the animals, you have a passion."

***

Two days later Mr. Morton called to pick up Goldie. The dog was healing nicely and Duo had x-rayed the leg again the day after, the two ends of the bone were lying neatly in place once again, held in position by the screws and plate. The cast was holding firm and Goldie had started to put a little weight on the paw, touching it briefly to the ground from time to time. Duo said that was a good sign and indicated that all should heal up well. Mr. Morton was over the moon. He'd honestly thought that the dog would need to have the leg amputated when he'd seen the damage and the bone sticking out. He couldn't thank Duo enough.

Mr. Morton brought his son with him to collect the dog, a lively three year old that immediately had the dog in a bear hug when Heero brought him out from the kennels. Heero kept the little boy occupied with the dog whilst Duo explained about the care Goldie would need to Mr. Morton.

"Main thing is to keep the plaster cast dry. Check his foot a couple of times a day to make sure that it's warm, that way we know that the circulation is still flowing to the paw. If you notice any redness, irritation or rubbing around the ends of the cast, bring him back straight away and I'll sort it out for you. Other than that, restrict his movement; keep it to simple walking around the house, no runs in the park or anything for a while. Unless you have any questions or any concerns I'll see you in six weeks to remove the plaster cast and check on the bone healing." Duo said and shook the owner's hand.

"Just one question, Doctor Maxwell."

"Yes?"

"You said the wound is stitched, what about the stitches? Surely they can't stay in for six weeks?"

"Technically speaking, no, they can't; but.... I used dissolving stitches. Usually we only use the dissolving stitches for internal stitching but with the necessity of a plaster cast I also used them to close the wound. The stitches will break down naturally over the next few days and should be completely dissolved in fourteen days."

"Ahh. Thank you, Doctor Maxwell, for everything you've done. I really do appreciate it." Mr. Morton smiled warmly at Duo and then followed the vet's line of sight to where his son sat on the floor with Heero and Goldie gently petting the dog.

"You know something, Mr. Morton?" began Duo as his smile widened. "That right there is the best thanks I could ever have."

Understanding exactly what Duo was saying, Mr. Morton had to agree.

***

Another week had passed and Duo had announced that Heero could begin to put Zero back into proper work. They sat down together one evening and Duo helped Heero work out a fitness program for the horse, one that would slowly build up the horse's muscle tone whilst not putting any undue strain on the leg. Heero was happy for the assistance, knowing himself from experience what sort of work program best suited Zero to get him fit enough to jump but pleased to have Duo's input and find out that all in all his program wasn't too bad. Duo had only suggested a couple of minor changes and Heero had readily agreed.

The sun was warm on his back as Duo sat on the fence watching Heero. Today was the first time that Heero had been back on Zero's back since the fall and despite being a little stiff, Duo could see the ease in which Heero sat his horse. They truly were united.

Zero seemed pleased to have his master riding him again. He sniffed at the air, snorted and tossed his head when Heero led him out of the stable block, saddled and bridled, thick support bandages on his legs. The bit jingled in his mouth as he chewed restlessly on it and he pawed the ground as he stood for Heero to mount.

"Only walking today, boy," said Heero as he settled into the saddle and ran a soothing hand down the gray neck. Picking up his reins he pressed his legs to Zero's sides and the horse walked forwards. Heero kept the exercise simple, just walking Zero around on a loose rein to begin with, allowing both Zero to get used to his weight on his back again and Heero to adjust to being in the saddle once more. As Zero began to relax so Heero took up more contact with his reins.

They had decided to stick with walking exercise for the first week, varying it from loose rein work to gradually increasing until they were at a collected walk. Whilst a lot of people thought that the walk was a boring pace, Heero knew it was one of the most important gaits on the horse and he could do a lot to tone muscle simply by varying the speed and collection of the walk. When Zero was on the loose rein he could stretch his head and neck down, relax through his back and keep his muscles soft. Once Heero took up the reins and increased the contact, so Zero's stride would shorten up, he would take smaller steps but they would be a lot more energetic and therefore engage more muscular activity. It would be a slow process but a thorough one and by the time they were ready to move onto the next phase, Zero's muscles would have built up enough to cope with the effort.

Still sitting on the fence, Duo watched as the pair varied the walk and he was in awe of the sheer beauty of the two. He felt a little envious of Heero, but it wasn't a jealous type of envy. He'd love to be able to ride like that and even though Heero had said he would teach Duo, Duo knew it took years to get to Heero's level. Still, he would be content enough if he could learn enough to ensure that he could stay in the saddle, control the horse and be able to ride without disgracing himself.

So locked in his thoughts was Duo that when his cell 'phone rang it scared the living daylights out of him and he lost his balance and fell off the fence. Zero who happened to be walking past at that particular point in time, shied away but Heero sat the sudden jump with ease and reined the horse in as he tried not to laugh too loud at Duo who was sprawled, undignified on the grass.

Scowling at his boyfriend and dusting his pants off, Duo scrambled to his feet and yanked the cell 'phone from the waist band of his jeans. "Maxwell."

Heero continued to walk Zero around in a circle by Duo, he could hear the occasional word that Duo spoke and his curiosity was roused. He looked at the vet and noted the serious expression fall over the handsome features. He brought Zero to a halt and waited for Duo to finish his call.

"Yes, I understand.... No, that's not a problem, I can come out as soon as you like. Errr... I'm outside in the paddock at the moment so I don't have a pen and paper, any chance you could call around and I'll follow you? Yup, that sounds fine. Okay, see you in about twenty. Bye, Quatre." With the call finished, Duo flipped the 'phone shut and turned to face Heero.

"Work?" asked Heero. It was a Sunday and Duo was closed on Sundays except for emergencies.

"Sort of," replied Duo. "That was Quatre. He's the local inspector for the R.S.P.C.A. He's been called out to a case of neglect, a horse. He wants me to go along with him and give him my veterinary opinion on the animal."

"Aa."

"Want to come along?"

"If you don't mind."

"I'd like to have you there, Heero. Actually it would be a help. Horses as you know are funny animals and if this one has been mistreated then I have no idea how it's going to react. Quatre, whilst he's good with animals, is only small and not all that experienced with horses. I think it would be a good idea to have you there as you know more about the handling side."

Heero felt himself warm with Duo's kind words. "I don't know how much help I can be but I'm willing to do anything I can."

"Thanks. I'll go get a bag organized while you unsaddle. Quatre will be here in about twenty minutes to pick us up."

"Okay. I'll meet you back at the house," replied Heero and turned Zero towards the paddock gate.

Duo left to get whatever medical supplies he thought he might need.

***

A white, four wheel drive land cruiser with the blue letters; ‘R.S.P.C.A. Inspector’ embellished on the side drew to a halt around the back of the vet hospital. Duo immediately walked forwards to meet the man getting out from the driver's side, Heero behind him.

"Quatre," said Duo as he shook hands with a small blonde man. 

"Good to see you again, Duo. I just wish we could meet under better circumstances," replied the blonde. "You remember Trowa?"

Duo turned to face the tall man with green eyes and a mess of hair that seemed to perpetually hang over his face. "Of course I do. How are you, Trowa? Keeping busy?"

Trowa shook the offered hand. "I'm always busy, Duo. What about you?"

"Yeah, flat out. Business is really taking off. Oh, I'm sorry, I'm forgetting my manners." Duo turned around to where Heero was standing behind him and pulled the man forward. "Guys, this is Heero Yuy, he's my part time assistant in the surgery now and also my house mate. Heero, this is Quatre Winner, the Inspector and Trowa Barton who runs an animal shelter."

Heero nodded to the pair and shook the offered hands. "Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise," replied Quatre.

"Nice to meet you too, Heero," said Trowa.

"Look, I hate to rush everyone but we can talk in the car on the way if that's okay," said Quatre as he moved back to the vehicle and climbed in.

"No problem, Quatre," replied Duo and picked up his bag.

Moments later they were driving down the road.

"What exactly is the case, Quatre?" asked Duo as they sped along the country lane.

"Neglect, as far as I know. Someone rang the office yesterday and reported that they'd seen a horse in a paddock, looked like it hadn't been fed for ages. They said they went to check out the conditions but couldn't tell a whole lot. From the information they gave us the paddock is only small with no ground cover, just a large sand pit with a couple of trees. They said they weren't sure about water either and it didn't look like the animal had seen a good feed in quite some time."

"Shit, poor thing. Any idea how long it's been there?"

"No, Duo. I don't have a time frame on it; still don't have an owner name either. We need to assess the situation and then work from there as to the best course of action."

"Right."

With one ear on Duo and Quatre's conversation, Heero turned to the other man and engaged him in light conversation. "You run an animal shelter?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, I do. I take in sick, injured and unwanted animals. I look after them and try to find new homes for them," replied Trowa.

"Must be interesting and hard work."

"It is, but it can be very rewarding too."

Further conversation was halted as Quatre slowed the car down and pulled over to the side of the road. "We're here," he said softly.

The four got out of the car and looked around. Heero's jaw fell open as he looked ahead at the sandy paddock. There was no vegetation whatsoever save two gum trees and those were almost devoid of any foliage. Thick, dry black sand was everywhere, no trace of a feed bin or a water trough that he could see. Then his eyes found the horse and he felt tears prickle behind his eyes as a lump lodged in his chest and throat. "Oh my god!" he whispered.

~ * ~ 

tbc......

[1] Trash and Treasure: These are markets held here in West Aussie at several locations throughout the state. People come and pay a fee to set up a stall and sell all their unwanted goods, new and secondhand. Buyers are admitted for a smaller fee with all money raised from the cost of stalls and entry going to charity. You can make a lot of money selling unwanted stuff and quite often pick up a bargain as well.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Heero couldn't take his eyes off the horse, or rather what he assumed was a horse. Never in all his life had he seen anything like this. With a jerk he realized that the other three were climbing through the fence and crossing the paddock. Heero hastened to catch up with them.

"Fucking hell!" growled Duo.

"What sort of a bastard would do this to an animal?" asked Heero.

"You get all sorts," replied Quatre. "Most times it's a case of they just don't know any better."

"Or sometimes they simply can't be bothered," snarled Trowa under his breath. "You should see some of the animals I've had through the shelter; it's enough to make your blood boil."

"Trowa usually takes the animals on behalf of the R.S.P.C.A. and nurses them back to health along with my assistance and financial support from the Association," explained Duo.

"Aa." Now the reason for the other man's presence became clearer to Heero.

"Although, looking at the creature from here I don't think Trowa will be able to look after this one, might be better to put it down. Did you bring your humane killer with you, Duo?" Quatre asked as the four men paused about twenty feet from the horse which hadn't moved.

"Yes, yes, I did; although I was hoping not to have to use it," replied Duo softly.

"Wait here," said Quatre and he began to approach the horse by himself. He didn't want the animal to become frightened by too many strangers approaching at once. He carefully walked closer, a halter and lead rope in one hand, apple in the other and talking in a soothing tone. The closer he got the more sickened he became. The horse turned its head and blinked through a blood shot, fly infested eye but made no attempt to move. "Easy there, I'm not going to hurt you." Either the horse trusted him or it was too weak to move away. Quatre thought it was probably more the latter. He stood quietly beside the neck and carefully eased his hands forward slipping the halter over the head and securing the buckle. He offered the animal the apple but the horse just looked pathetically at it as if it didn't know what to do with it.

Seeing that Quatre had the horse haltered, the remaining three moved closer. The horse completely ignored them, showing no interest whatsoever. Quatre gently stroked the soft nose and spoke in a low tone. "Duo, do you think you can do a preliminary check and tell me what you think?"

"Sure I can." Duo dropped his bag to the dirt and opened it up to remove his stethoscope and began his examination of the horse.

Heero stood slightly to one side and looked the animal over. It was a mare, roughly fifteen two, Heero estimated and coal black save a white sock on the near hind and a small, white crescent shape on her forehead. The coat was dull and standing up in tufts here and there, Heero knew it would be coarse to the touch, not soft like Zero's. But it was the overall appearance of the mare that drove the knife into Heero's heart. She was nothing more than a bag of bones, a walking skeleton. The hide was drawn tight over jutting hip bones, he could clearly see and count all the ribs and if he needed a reminder on the bones of the horse he could see and label almost every single one on the mare in her skeletal state. How the hell could anyone let an animal get into such an emaciated state? Heero had to turn away, the tears were blurring his vision. A hand rested on his shoulder and he looked up into the green eyes of Trowa.

"How…?"

"Some people simply don't understand the care involved in keeping a horse. They think they can pop it in a paddock and it will survive on the grass alone," said Trowa softly. 

"But..."

"I know, when you have animals of your own it's hard to comprehend that there are people out there in the world that can do such a thing."

Heero nodded dumbly. If anyone would know about pain and suffering in an animal it would be Trowa, after all, with his shelter he most likely saw a lot of it. His attention was drawn back to Duo who had completed his exam and was about to give his diagnosis.

Duo gently ran his hands over the mare, feeling the bumps of the bones against the flesh of the hide. He couldn't find any injuries, so cruelty in that way could be ruled out. He checked the heart rate and despite the poor condition of the mare the heart was beating strongly. He checked respiratory rate, the pupils and opened the mouth to check the horse's teeth. After taking her temperature, Duo concluded his exam by going over her feet. All the time he worked the mare never moved, she showed no interest at all. 

Running a hand through his hair, Duo draped the stethoscope around his neck and looked at the three expectant faces. "I can't find any evidence of physical abuse, the heart rate, breathing rate and temperature are all normal. She's extremely malnourished and has a touch of laminitis [1] in her off fore. It looks like just a case of starvation and..." Duo paused and pinched the skin of the neck, watching intently as the skin dropped back to its normal position. "... dehydration."

"How bad is the starvation? Any chance she could recover if given proper feeding and care?" asked Quatre.

"She could, but I'll bet she has a belly full of worms and her teeth need rasping as well. She's pretty far gone and I'd say her chances of surviving are roughly thirty percent."

While Duo was explaining his findings, Heero took a closer look at the mare. He looked beyond the skinny body, seeing the animal in his mind's eye if she were fattened up. He studied the angle of the shoulders, the basic, overall conformation, which given her skeletal state was easy to do, and saw what she could be, what she possibly had been. "How old do you think she is, Duo?"

Duo turned to face Heero, noting the intense look in those blue eyes. "Judging by her teeth I'd say anywhere between ten and thirteen. There's no brand that I can determine so it's pretty much a guess."

"You know, underneath all that skin and bones there's a damn nice horse," Heero stated as he cocked his head and continued to study the mare. "It would be nice to see it given the chance to come out."

"What are you thinking, Heero?" asked Duo as he turned more fully to study his boyfriend.

"Well, given the time I've spent around horses, I've picked up a lot over the years and now I can generally tend to be able to pick out a good one from a bad one; conformation, temperament and breeding wise. All I'm saying is that this mare, despite her current condition is nicely put together and would make a good brood mare; maybe even a nice riding horse. Look at the slope of her shoulders, the curve to her hocks. She's short in the back and has a nice length of rein."

"Whoa! You lost me a couple of shoulder blades ago," chuckled Quatre.

Heero gave the Inspector a sheepish grin. "Sorry, I forget that most people don't share my obsession with horses."

"Just how much experience have you had with horses, Heero?" Trowa asked politely. "I've spent some time with them and know the basics but what you're talking about has gone completely over my head."

"You saw the big gray in the paddock at my place?" said Duo, turning to face the pair. Quatre and Trowa nodded. "Well, that's Heero's horse. I've been treating it since it took a bad fall roughly three, three and a half months ago at the Salsbury Agricultural show. Heero's a damn good rider and certainly knows his horses."

Heero suitably blushed and looked at the sand. "I've been with horses for most of my life, learning to ride when I was about four. It's my ambition to represent my country in Showjumping in International competition."

Trowa gave a low whistle. "Nice goal."

"And he will succeed too," smiled Duo and gave Heero a warm look.

"If he's got you as a back up then there's every possibility that he will," smiled Quatre. The blonde Inspector had sensed there was something more than simple friendship between the two but didn't say anything, that was Duo's business and Quatre didn't stick his nose in where it wasn't wanted. Besides, from what he could tell so far, Heero seemed a nice guy, genuine and caring, he would be good for Duo. It was time Duo had someone in his life and discovered the joys of a partner and relationship. He'd been lonely himself until he'd met Trowa. 

Heero was rapidly changing colors from pink to red; he hated being the center of attention and tried to change the subject, fishing for information. "So, what will happen to the mare now?"

"Now we have to take some pictures for evidence, try to find a water trough and then go door knocking," replied Quatre.

"Door knocking?" asked Heero.

"Yeah. I have to try and find out if anyone around here knows who the horse belongs to, or who owns the paddock. The photos will be used in court to prosecute the owner; also they will be our ticket to getting this animal either put down or out of here..."

"You can't put her down!" Heero said a little more forcefully than he'd intended. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell but you can't just shoot her."

"Heero, I don't like putting animals down anymore than you do, but sometimes it's necessary to end the animal's suffering or if there is no hope of a recovery. In this case it's Duo's call. If he thinks that the horse is beyond help then the kindest thing to do would be to end it now for her."

Heero turned his gaze along with Trowa and Quatre to Duo. Duo felt the weight of the eyes and the decision that was his alone to make. Did he simply take out the humane killer and end the mare's life of hell now? Or should he give her a chance? There were no guarantees that she would pull through, she was pretty far gone already. He caught Heero's pleading stare from the corner of his eye and felt his heart skip a couple of beats. 

"Duo?"

Duo turned to face Quatre.

"What do you think?"

"She could pull through with the right care and treatment, although it would be a long road before she would be back to anything resembling normal." Duo turned to look at Trowa. "I'm guessing at least three months before she starts to look half way decent and probably six months before she would be 'normal'."

"What does the R.S.P.C.A. do with the animals it rescues once they're fit and healthy again?" asked Heero.

"Usually we find them new homes with people we can trust. They don't go just anywhere. The people that apply to take an animal are carefully screened first and then once the animal is placed, we check up on its welfare on a regular basis," replied Quatre.

"Aa. Duo? Could I have a word with you for a moment, please?" Heero motioned for his boyfriend to follow him to one side where they could talk in confidence.

"Are you thinking what I think you're thinking, Heero?" asked Duo with an amused smile on his face.

"Look, Duo. I know that ultimately it's your call in regards to this horse but before you make that decision please, hear what I have to say."

"Okay, fire away, Heero." Duo had a pretty good idea of what Heero intended to say but he was curious as to just what the other man proposed.

"Please try to believe me when I say that I've looked beyond the skeleton of this horse, seen the lines and the possibilities. She's a nice mare, Duo. I believe that with the right care and treatment she will survive. She's got the conformation there to be a really nice riding horse; as for the temperament, hard to tell at this stage but I'd say she's sweet tempered based on what I've seen so far. Even in her starved state if she perceived us to be a threat or she had a nasty streak in her she would have shown it, of that I'm certain. Look, put simply, I'd like to give her a chance. I know it's your property, Duo, and you're already refusing any agistment money for Zero, but with the money I'm earning on the side for free lancing I can afford to pay for her..."

"Heero..."

"I'd pay you agistment costs..."

"Heero..."

"You wouldn't have to do anything other than any vet treatment she would need..."

"Heero..."

"And I'd pay you for that, I wouldn't expect you to treat her for nothing..."

"Heero!'

"Hai?"

"I think she deserves a chance too."

"You do?"

"Yes, I do. It's the old saying, Heero; 'where there's life, there's hope' or I think it's something along those... oooof." Duo's words were cut short as Heero grabbed him and hugged the living daylights out of him.

"Arigato, Duo." Heero swooped in and kissed Duo senseless.

"Ahem. Errr... Sorry to interrupt you two but we still have a horse to deal with here," came Trowa's amused voice.

"Oh, fuck!" groaned Heero. "Duo, I'm so sorry for kissing you like that in front of your friends. Oh, shit, what the hell are they going to think?"

"Heero, it's okay," replied Duo. 

"But I don't want you to be ridiculed or abused because of what I just did." Heero hung his head with guilt. They had decided to keep their relationship confidential, mainly because of society's sometimes negative attitude towards same sex couples. They didn't need the complications of being ostracized or ridiculed, not to mention the damage it could do to both their careers.

"Heero, look at me," Duo commanded softly.

Heero turned his guilt ridden eyes to look at his boyfriend.

Duo gently cupped Heero's face in his hands. "It's fine, Heero. Trowa and Quatre, they won't mind at all, in fact they understand perfectly."

"You mean?"

"Yup. Quatre and Trowa have been a couple for quite some time now, and they're in a similar situation to us, so believe me when I say that they won't mind and they won't tell anyone either." Duo gave the messy haired man a smile and quick kiss in return. "Now, let's see what Quatre has to say about this as ultimately it is his decision as to where the horse goes if we're not putting her down."

"I told you they were a couple," Quatre smirked to Trowa. "I could sense it and I'm rarely wrong."

"Okay, so you were right. I had my own idea that they might have been so don't look so smug," replied Trowa with a grin.

"I'd say Heero must be a good kisser if Duo's face is anything to go by," snickered the blonde.

"Looks like it," replied Trowa as he watched the pair in amusement. "This isn't getting us anywhere though and this horse needs attention as soon as possible." Trowa proceeded to call out to the other two and moments later the pair returned.

"Quatre, Heero has a proposal in regards to the horse. I'd like you to hear it and see what you think. Before he does though, just for the record I think the horse should be given a chance."

"Okay, Duo. You're the vet and would know so I'll take your advice into consideration. Now, Heero, what is this proposition?"

Heero patiently explained to Quatre what he would like to do with the horse, emphasizing that he thought the horse could make a full recovery and be a nice riding animal at the end of it all. With his speech done, Heero lowered his eyes and waited for Quatre to make his decision.

"Do you think Heero would be able to take care of her, Duo? I mean this isn't a five minute job we're talking about here," asked Quatre.

"You haven't seen how he dotes on Zero, Quatre. " Duo rolled his eyes. "That horse is so spoiled."

"No, he isn't," returned Heero.

"Yes, he is," replied Duo. "Honestly, he's a carrot eating machine. You have no idea how many carrots that animal can put away, Quat. Oh, and if he doesn't get his daily amount, he sulks."

"He what?" asked Trowa as he turned his questioning eyes to Duo.

"He sulks. Goes and stands in the corner and doesn't want anything to do with you until he gets his quota of carrots," Duo said with a grin.

"He's very intelligent and simply wants his reward for being a good boy," huffed Heero in defense of his horse.

Quatre couldn't help but laugh.

"Only teasing you, Heero," smiled Duo and then turned back to Quatre. "Seriously though, Heero would look after her, he's devoted to Zero and does everything he can to make sure that horse is comfortable. This mare would have an excellent home with him."

"Us."

"Pardon?" Duo turned around at Heero's soft word.

"Us. She would have a good home with us, Duo. That's the main reason I'd like to have her. I think she would make an excellent riding horse for you, Duo; once she's fit and well again."

"But, Heero. I don't ride well enough to have a horse."

"If I remember correctly you did say you would love to learn again and go for rides. I'd love to have company when I go out on rides or even just exercising in the paddock, it's always more fun when there's two of you."

"Okay, you two, end of round one," chuckled Quatre. "I trust your judgment, Duo, and if you think that Heero would be an appropriate owner for this animal then I will take your word for it. Besides, whether she's at Trowa's or your place she's still going to need veterinary care to a point and it would be easier if she was at your surgery. If that's okay with you?"

"Fine with me," replied Duo as he still tried to figure out just how the hell he'd been roped into this.

"Before I can legally hand her over though we have to find the current owner so we can start legal proceedings against them for the state of neglect." Quatre turned to face Heero. "This will all need to go through the court system first, once that's been completed then the R.S.P.C.A. will become the official owners of her and then we will go through the necessary paperwork and channels to have that ownership transferred to you, Heero. Does that sound okay?"

"That's fine with me," replied Heero with a smile. He took Duo's hand in his and squeezed it gently. Duo gave a squeeze back.

"Right. Now to get cracking. Firstly I will contact headquarters and let them know that we are taking the animal into R.S.P.C.A. custody pending charges for neglect. Whilst I'm doing that could you three take pictures of the mare and the paddock for me for evidence please?"

"Sure," replied Duo.

"I'll go scout around and see if I can find a water trough,' said Trowa softly and handed Duo the camera that Quatre had passed to him.

"Okay then. Let's get a move on." Quatre went to make his call; Trowa began to scour the paddock fence line for any signs of a water trough whilst Duo took pictures of the horse and surrounding paddock. Heero took the lead rope from Quatre and introduced himself to the mare.

Gently Heero's fingers brushed the flies away from the mare's eyes. He stroked her face, rubbed gently between her eyes and pulled softly on her ears; all the time he kept up a low soothing monologue. "It's going to be all right now, girl. You won't go hungry again, I'll make sure of that. You'll have a nice, warm, comfortable stable to sleep in, a big grassy paddock to graze in to your heart's content and fresh water all the time. You'll get to meet Zero as well and I'm sure the pair of you will become good friends..."

Duo smiled to himself as he took the photos, Heero really was just too adorable when faced with an animal in distress. Duo knew he cared about animals but to see Heero with a horse... The man truly did love the equine race.

***

Once all the preliminaries relating to the horse had been completed, the group set about the task of trying to find out who owned the animal. They started by knocking on the doors of the few houses that were nearby. The R.S.P.C.A. had contacted the local police, and a paper allowing the association to take possession and remove the horse was being drawn up. Once the paper was in Quatre's hands then they could take the mare from the paddock and place her at Duo's. Until then, their hands were tied and so they spent the time looking for the owner's name. The police were also trying to trace the paddock owner on the off chance that it was the same person, but it would take a while.

After making inquiries at four houses they finally got a lead. The woman there said she recalled seeing a vehicle at the paddock on a regular basis, however, she hadn't seen it for some time. But she did know who owned the paddock and gave them the name. Armed with that information, Quatre contacted the police again who ran the name through the data base and came up with three possible matches for the name Kinsford. They gave Quatre the recorded contact 'phone numbers and addresses and Quatre had the task of calling each of the numbers to see if they owned the paddock and / or the horse.

The stopped at a small shop to grab a bite to eat whilst Quatre made the calls, the afternoon was wearing on and it was now three o'clock. Duo knew that he and Heero would need to head back soon as there was Zero to be taken care of and dinner to think about. Duo looked up as Quatre approached. "Any luck?" he asked as he bit into the sandwich he'd bought.

"As a matter of fact, yes. The second one I called was the owner of the paddock. He doesn't know the horse, said that he'd been asked about nine months ago if he would be interested in renting out the paddock. He did but hasn't bothered to check on the state of the land or anything else since. He say's the guy that rented it pays the amount monthly and hasn't been late with a payment so he's got no reason to check up."

"So, who is the owner then?" asked Trowa.

"Some guy by the name of Muldoon. I've got an address for him and it's local so once you lot have finished eating we can take a ride around there and have a chat. Oh, I'll stop off and pick up the paperwork from the police station on the way. I don't suppose you got me anything?" Quatre gave a look to the three that were busily feeding their faces.

"Would I leave you to go hungry?" said Trowa.

"Well..."

Trowa tossed the blonde a sandwich. "Roast beef with mustard and salad on wholemeal," he said as he took another bite of his own tuna roll.

"Ahhh... You spoil me," replied Quatre as he gave Trowa a warm smile.

They quickly finished their belated lunch and piled back into the car, heading first to the police station and then to the residence of a Mr. Muldoon.

***

The house was small, the neglected garden ran wild with weeds and over grown shrubs. Heero tripped over a broken paving stone that he couldn't see due to the state of the garden. Duo caught his elbow and steadied his boyfriend. 

"Easy, Heero. I know you're eager to get this horse but that's no way to make things go faster."

Heero shook his head but was careful to watch where he walked. Yes, he was eager to get the horse; he just wanted to have the mare out of that paddock and safely at Duo's as soon as possible. Trowa had found a water trough, right in the far corner of the paddock but it was filthy. Algae grew rampant in it, the sides and bottom thick with sludge and slime. Obviously it hadn't been cleaned out in quite some time.

Quatre took a deep breath and knocked on the door, the other three stood back a little, not wanting to appear threatening in any way. Quatre's crisp, blue uniform suited the smaller Inspector, Trowa wore jeans and a polo shirt with the name 'Barton Animal Refuge' embroidered on it, whilst Duo and Heero were dressed in shirts and jeans.

"Can I help you?" It was the voice of an older woman.

"I hope so. My name is Quatre Winner and I'm an inspector for the R.S.P.C.A. I wish to speak with a Mr. Muldoon, please."

"I'm afraid Mr. Muldoon isn't really up to seeing visitors at the moment."

"I apologize for the intrusion, but it is imperative that I speak with him in regards to a horse that he owns. Don't worry, the other three will wait in the car, it's just myself that needs to speak with him," Quatre said quietly.

"I really don't know..."

"Madam, I know this is probably not a convenient time but I have to speak with Mr. Muldoon now, it's a matter of some urgency."

The woman appeared to hesitate but then opened the door. "Okay, just you," she said. "Mr. Muldoon isn't well and I fear for his health."

Quatre turned to the other three. "You guys wait in the car, I'll be back out shortly," and with that, Quatre disappeared into the house.

The other three went back to the car to speculate on what was happening inside the house.

Ten minutes later, Quatre was walking back to the car, a thoughtful expression on his face. As soon as he climbed in he was bombarded with questions from the other three.

"What happened?"

"Did he admit to neglecting the horse?"

"What the hell was his excuse for not feeding the mare?"

"Did you give him the notice?"

Quatre put his hands up in the air. "Hold on everyone. Let's get on the road and I'll fill you in as we go back to Duo's." Quatre started the car and began to drive.

"Our Mr. Muldoon is about eighty six and in failing health," began Quatre. "It seems that he bought the horse for his granddaughter to ride. He only pays for the paddock which incidentally is deducted from his bank account every month. He said that his granddaughter's family were going to look after the animal's needs, feeding, shoeing and so on. He kept on saying how much he enjoyed going down there and watching her ride the horse..."

"But no one's been near that paddock for at least six weeks!" exclaimed Heero. 

"I know," said Quatre quietly. "The old guy is getting a little senile. The woman, Mrs. Pritchard lives next door and comes in each day to look after him, she's a retired nurse. She said his memory is leaving him and he gets things mixed up all the time. She'd heard him talk about a horse and his granddaughter a few times but didn't know he'd actually bought a horse or that anything of what he was saying had any merit to it. She thought it was just some ramblings from an old man's mind stuck in the past."

"So it sounds like there isn't much the law can do then," said Trowa.

"Not really," sighed Quatre. "I did try to explain to him the seriousness of the situation, the fact that the horse was on the verge of starving to death but he either didn't understand, or doesn't comprehend. I did tell him that we were taking the animal but again he continued to waffle on about his granddaughter and how well she was riding and competing, bringing home ribbons and trophies. I'd say the best that we can do is take it to court where the charges for neglect will be dismissed on the grounds of the old man's senility but he will be prevented from owning any sort of animal in future."

The three were silent as they digested Quatre's words. In one way it sucked that charges couldn't or wouldn't be pressed but then this was a senile elderly man they were dealing with so it was pretty much a catch 22 situation. At least they had the comforting thought that the mare would be out of that situation now.

"Heero?"

Heero jerked out of his musings as he heard Duo call his name. "Sorry, I was miles away."

"So I noticed. What I said was, can we use your horse float to pick the mare up in? It would be quicker and easier than Quatre having to go back to HQ and get the association's one when yours is sitting at home and the surgery isn't far from the paddock."

"Of course," replied Heero. "The sooner we can get the mare out of there the better."

"Thanks. You hear that, Quatre?"

"Yes, Duo, I heard. Thanks, Heero." Quatre continued to drive to Duo's and pulled up around the back of the surgery where Heero's horse float stood.

Duo jumped out and guided Quatre back to the tow hitch and then with Heero's assistance they hooked the float up to the land cruiser. 

"I'm just going to grab a hay net and some feed, just in case she's difficult to get in," said Heero as he disappeared in the direction of the feed shed.

Half an hour later they were back at the paddock, armed with food, halter, lead rope and a tail rope should they need it to persuade the mare to walk into the float. They needn't have worried. The mare was too weak to put up too much resistance. Heero haltered her and slowly led her across the paddock to the waiting float, Quatre, Trowa and Duo walked on either side, helping to support the mare as she took slow, shaky steps. It took a while but eventually they made it to the gate and Heero opened it. He led the horse through and to the ramp where the mare hesitated.

"Come on, girl. I promise we're taking you to a better place, a better life," said Heero as he fed her a handful of oats from the bucket Duo passed him. Heero stood at the top of the tailgate as the mare sniffed at his hand and then almost took his fingers off as she greedily ate the oats. "Steady on," chuckled Heero, not in the least put out that he'd almost lost a finger. "There's more inside."

The mare sniffed the tailgate, catching the scent of another horse. Tentatively she stepped onto it, first one hoof and then another. She paused again, mistrusting the dark opening. She'd been locked in that paddock for as long as she could remember, occasionally someone would throw over a bit of hay but that was it. The days of good food were but a hazy memory to her now. The paddock had been well covered with grass at the beginning but as the food stopped coming so she'd been forced to rely on the grass to ease the empty feeling in her stomach. When the grass ran out she ate the weeds and then the foliage on the trees that she could reach, even though she didn't care much for the slightly bitter taste.

She sniffed again. What was to say that this was going to be any different? Then her nostrils caught the scent of something long forgotten. Oats. Greedily she grabbed for them, her muzzle working over the hand of the human that held her and scoffed them down. She hesitated again but the soft words and gentle caresses from the man that held her soothed her troubled mind. She decided to trust this human and began to walk forward again. It was an effort, all her strength was nearly gone but as she entered the horse float so the smell of sweet hay hit her nostrils and she almost bowled the human over in her eagerness to get to the source of the food.

"Heero!? You okay?" yelled Duo as he watched the mare suddenly charge forward.

"I'm fine," came a muffled reply. "Or at least I will be if I can just get out of this damn haynet."

Trowa laughed and slipped the safety chain behind the mare's quarters whilst Duo went to help his boyfriend. Quatre assisted Trowa in raising the tail gate and soon they were on their way back to Duo's with one horse busily demolishing the haynet in the float.

~ * ~ 

tbc...

[1] Laminitis (sometimes also called Founder or Fever of the Feet.): This is a disease of the hoof, the sensitive laminae inside the hard outer wall of the hoof can become inflamed for a variety of different reasons and causes. It is treatable but painful to the horse in most cases. Ever had a splinter underneath a fingernail? If you have then you have some idea of how painful laminitis can be for a horse as it's a similar thing.

Note: For those that aren't sure the initials R.S.P.C.A. stand for Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Duo waved to Quatre and Trowa as they left and then turned his attention back to Heero who was standing in the yard with the mare. "Come on, let's get her into the stable block and into the crush where I can have a better look at her."

"Okay." Heero began to lead the mare slowly across the yard. She was having trouble walking, her hooves were overgrown and added to her weakened state. "Easy, girl," murmured Heero as the mare stumbled slightly. "Duo? Are you able to trim her feet at all?"

Duo looked at the mare's hooves. "I can only do basic farrier work, Heero, nothing like what she's going to need. This is a job for a professional."

"I'll give Bob a ring tonight and see when I can get him out. Zero's going to need new shoes anyway so I might as well get him to do the pair of them at the same time."

"See if you can get him to come in the afternoon, in-between consulting hours, I'd like to talk to him about her feet, especially the one with the laminitis in it as that's going to need extra attention," replied Duo as he moved ahead to open the gates on the crush ready for the mare.

Zero whinnied from the paddock and the mare raised her head, looking in the gray's direction. Heero smiled. It was the first interest that the mare had shown in anything other than the food in the horse float. "That's Zero," Heero told the mare. "He's my other horse and I hope that you two will become friends."

Zero gave another whinny and began to pace the fence line as he tried to get a better look at the new arrival. The mare gave a low whinny back, frightening the shit out of Heero as her muzzle was by his ear. 

"Damn! Did you have to do that right in my ear? You nearly deafened me!"

The mare ignored him, the whinny had cost her most of her strength. Her head drooped and she ignored the rest of Zero's calls as she plodded tiredly beside Heero and into the stable block. Normally she would have been keen to check out her new surroundings, but right now, she simply didn't have the energy. Besides, it couldn't be any worse than where she'd come from. Calmly she walked into the crush and was grateful to be able to stop and just stand; the exhaustion from the effort of keeping herself upright during the trip and now the walking had completely drained her reserves. She swayed a little on her feet but the kind, reassuring voice and gentle pets from the human helped her to stay standing.

Duo came out of the side room, armed with drugs and other items. Heero looked curiously at what Duo brought out and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Firstly I'm going to give her a shot of Penicillin, that will help with the laminitis. Then I'm going to give her a tetanus shot and booster, heaven knows when she last had one; oh, I'll give her a Strangles [1] shot as well. Once that's done I'll inject a dose of vitamins to help her system." Duo began to prepare the needle and syringes.

"I'll need to work out a feeding program for her," said Heero in a low tone as he stroked the mare's ears. "Obviously she can't go straight onto rich feed."

"No, she can't. I'll worm her as well and then once she's a little stronger we can drench [2] her too. I'd start by giving her mainly bulk food, lots of carbohydrates and then once she adjusts we can introduce the protein and begin to fatten her up. Colic [3] is the thing we're going to have to watch out for."

"You think she's likely to get colic?"

"I'd say it's very probable. I'm betting she's got a truck load of sand inside from all the foraging on that bare paddock and once the good feed begins to hit her stomach there's a strong chance that her digestive system is going to react. Normally I would drench her first, shift all that sand; but with her weakened condition it's only going to make her worse. I'd rather wait a couple of days and make sure she's a little stronger."

"Whatever you think is the best, Duo," replied Heero. "Need a hand?"

"If you don't mind. Here, can you hold these for me and pass them to me when I ask?" Duo handed Heero three syringes to hold and then turned back to the mare. "Easy, girl. I'm only trying to help you." Duo pressed his thumb to the jugular vein in the neck and watched as the vessel began to bulge. Using an alcohol swab, he cleaned the area and then slipped the needle into the vein and drew back on the plunger slightly. Rich, red blood flowed into the syringe and Duo depressed the plunger, sending the contents into the mare's bloodstream. 

Once the antibiotic was all injected, Duo removed the syringe from the end of the needle and held out his hand to Heero who passed over another syringe. The tetanus vaccine followed and then the vitamins and strangles vaccine. Duo removed the needle and swabbed the area again. Throughout the whole procedure the mare never moved. "Good, girl," said Duo softly and patted the mare.

"We have to give her a name," said Heero suddenly. "Quatre didn't say if the old guy told him her name so I'm guessing he didn't. We can't keep calling her 'girl' or 'the mare', she needs a name."

"The only thing that springs to my mind at the moment is 'Boney'," snickered Duo.

Heero gave his boyfriend a 'look'.

"Sorry, but you have to admit, she is a walking skeleton. Brings back memories of my anatomy classes." Duo gave Heero a smile and picked up the tube of worming paste. "Just hold her steady, I don't know how she's going to like this."

"Zero hates being wormed," said Heero as he took a slightly stronger grip on the halter.

"Most horses do," replied Duo as he slipped off the little cap on the end of the tube. "Many's the time I've had forelegs dancing around my ears when trying to worm an animal that didn't like the idea very much."

"You have to be sneaky with Zero. I usually keep the tube in my pocket and then quickly shove it down the side of his mouth and squirt before he has a chance to know what's happening."

Duo snickered at the thought of Heero trying to worm his horse.

"Then he goes all funny with his mouth, chomping and sticking his tongue out. He usually finishes by slinking off and dragging his face in the dirt." Heero gave a sigh. "Then he sulks and won't come near me for a few hours, not even for a carrot."

Duo gave a whistle. "Shit, he must really hold a grudge against you for a while then if he won't even come for a carrot."

"Duo, you have no idea of some of the quirks that animal has. But, despite them all I wouldn't swap him for the world. Those quirks are what make Zero, Zero."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. His master can be the same," Duo said with a grin.

"I am not!"

"Well, maybe you don't go around rubbing your face in the dirt..."

"Duo!"

"But you have to admit, you do have other quirks."

"I don't."

"Yes, you do. Such as keeping things to yourself, bottling shit up and going all silent on me. Then there's the computer; once you're on that thing nothing else seems to exist." Duo teased.

"You can't talk, what about the hair in the drain and leaving the cap off the toothpaste?"

"I know, I don't deny it; but, Heero, I wouldn't change you for all the tea in China. Those little things are what make you, you; and I love every single one of those quirks." Duo leaned in to his boyfriend and stole a kiss. Resting his forehead against Heero's, Duo looked into intense blue eyes. "You're special, Heero Yuy, unique, one of a kind; and you're mine."

Heero's breath hitched and he felt the familiar ache in his heart as Duo spoke the soft words. "Love you too, Duo Maxwell. You're also unique, there could never be another person so loving, gifted and passionate as what you are; and you're also mine."

Lips gravitated together again and the kiss was gentle, languid as mouths opened and tongues slipped inside to explore. Heero's hand dropped from the halter and found the back of Duo's neck, pulling the vet closer to his body. His other arm wound around Duo's waist and he pushed his pelvis forward, eager to have full body contact with his boyfriend.

Duo's hands came up and threaded through Heero's thick locks. He pressed himself closer, feeling his pants shrinking as his arousal began to climb. He moaned softly into Heero's mouth, feeling the answering hardness digging into his hip. Finally breaking apart for air they paused and stared at each other. 

"Better finish treating the mare," panted Duo.

"Hai, I think we should, otherwise I'm tempted to throw you into the hay and have my wicked way with you," breathed Heero.

"Mmmm... I'm tempted to let you," replied Duo in a husky tone.

The mare chose that moment to nudge at the pair, nearly unbalancing them both.

"I think play time is over for the moment," snickered Duo. "Someone wants some attention."

Heero gave a low chuckle but released the vet, not before taking one last taste of those sweet lips though. "Better get her sorted out, Zero will be demanding his tea shortly."

Reluctantly leaving Heero's arms, Duo returned to continue his treatment. The worming paste was quickly given, the mare showing her displeasure by sticking out her tongue and trying to spit as much of the paste out as she could. Duo was too good though and the majority of the paste had already gone down her throat.

"What about Blackie?" said Duo as he inspected the horse's coat. "Yuk!"

"No, Blackie doesn't suit and why the yuk?"

"She's got mange."

"Wonderful," sighed Heero.

"A few good washes with a diluted solution of Betadine will fix that. We can start that tomorrow, I think she's had just about enough for today." Duo patted the bony rump.

Heero stared at the mare's forehead, noting the small, crescent shaped marking there. "I know," he said and turned to Duo. "How about we call her Scythe?"

"Scythe? How the hell did you come up with that one?"

"Look here," Heero said and pointed to the mare's forehead. "See that white marking there?"

"Yup."

"Well, to me it looks like the blade of a scythe."

"Looks like a bunch of white hairs to me, Heero," teased Duo.

Heero rolled his eyes. "Where's your imagination?"

"Flew south with the ducks?" replied Duo, his tone light. "I'm going to get the teeth files and give those teeth a good rasp [4] before we put her in the stable."

"I think it looks like a scythe," muttered Heero as Duo fetched the rasps.

"Actually, it does, Heero," stated Duo as he returned with a bucket partially filled with water and several files. "I think Scythe is a good name for her, I only hope her teeth aren't as sharp." Duo turned to fetch the gag to pop on the mare's head and thereby hold her mouth open so he could file the teeth with ease.

"Then Scythe it is," said Heero as he helped Duo to slip the metal part of the gag over the mare's front teeth and then buckle the leather strap behind her ears. 

Duo cranked the side of the gag and the mare's mouth slowly opened up for the vet to peer into the cavern. "Shit! Look at that, Heero."

Heero peered inside the mare's mouth. "Fuck, that's gotta hurt."

Roughly two thirds of the way along the molars on the left side, a piece of tooth stood up. It was long and pointed, the inside of the cheek showing where the sharp piece of tooth had cut into the sensitive skin.

"That's got to come off and now," said Duo grimly and disappeared back into his 'drug' room. He returned moments later with what looked to Heero like a pair of pliers. Carefully he slipped his hand into the mare's mouth and opened up the 'pincers'. Making sure he got the blades on either side of the base of the pointed tooth growth, Duo began to close the blades and squeeze as hard as he could. He grunted with the effort, sweat running down his face as he put all his strength into trying to sever the piece of tooth.

Suddenly there was a loud crack and the tooth yielded, the blades cutting through neatly and the offending piece of enamel fell out of the horse's mouth and onto the concrete.

It sounded like a rifle shot going off and Heero jumped a mile. Fortunately the mare didn't have the energy to mimic him and her jump was a little more refined. Heero bent to pick up the piece whilst Duo grabbed a rasp and began to file away at the mare's teeth. "Shit, that's one hell of a bit of tooth," he said as he turned the piece over in his fingers. The piece was roughly two centimeters long and tapered to a fine point. "I'll bet you're glad to be rid of that thing," murmured Heero to Scythe. "Ow, I can just feel how much that would have hurt each time you chewed, it would stab straight into the side of your mouth."

"Looks like a prong," said Duo as he changed rasps and wiped the sweat out of his eyes. The mare was dribbling and Duo's arms were covered in the saliva. "Nearly done, she should feel a lot more comfortable after this." Duo returned to his rasping and Heero tossed the piece of tooth to the top of the bench that ran along the wall opposite the crush.

Five minutes later, Duo had finished and Heero was unbuckling the gag. The mare chomped her jaws together, a look of relief on her face. "Now you will feel better," said Heero as he patted her neck. "Nearly finished?" he asked his boyfriend.

"Yeah, I'm pretty much done with everything I can for the moment. Let's make her up a feed and pop her into the stable. I'd say she would appreciate some rest and quiet time now." Duo was bent over the sink, washing the rasps and trying to clean himself off a little.

Heero left Scythe in the crush and went into the feed shed to sort out a feed for her; Duo joined him a moment later. "I was thinking that she should be given mainly chaff, lucern chaff, bran and maybe a handful of cubes, oh, and a haynet too."

"That sounds pretty good to me, Heero. Just keep the cubes to a minimum for the moment though, no sense in tempting fate. I wonder if she likes carrots?"

Heero turned his head slowly to look into the smiling violet eyes. "Only one way to find out."

"Well, she didn't know what to do with that apple Quatre had for her," Duo said a sad look passing over his handsome face for a moment.

"Want to see if she knows what a carrot is?"

"Why not.?"

Heero cut up a few carrots and the pair took them back out to the mare. Heero placed one on the palm of his hand and offered it to her. Scythe sniffed at the carrot and then lipped at it as if she wasn't sure what to do with it. "You eat it, girl," chuckled Heero as he watched the mare's antics.

Eventually the mare took the carrot into her mouth and crunched it between her teeth. Her eyes seemed to light up and greedily she turned her head asking for more which Heero was only too happy to provide.

Duo laughed. "Looks like you're going to be continuously buying carrots, Heero. I suggest you take up shares in a carrot farm, with Zero liking them so much and now you have this one hooked as well, you're going to need it."

Heero simply smiled and fed the mare the rest of the carrots. "You like those, Scythe?" he said softly as the muzzle searched his hand and pockets for more. "That's your name now, girl. Scythe."

The mare didn't understand a word that the human was saying to her but she did know that those things he had been feeding her tasted good and she'd like some more. 

"Come on, Heero. Get the lead out," called Duo from the stables where he was busily putting both Scythe's and Zero's feeds in. "We have Zero to bring in yet and the leg to check. Time's getting on and it will be dark soon. I don't know about you but I'm hungry."

"Coming." Heero took the lead rope and opened the front of the crush. Slowly the mare tottered along beside him and into the new stable. Her interest sparked a little, long forgotten memories of a similar place stirring in her mind and she allowed a small spark of hope to blossom inside. Her nose alerted her that there was something good in the feed bin in the corner and she towed Heero across the stable to get to it.

"Fuck, she's got some strength when she wants," exclaimed Heero as he unclipped the lead rope and let the mare plunge her head into the feed bin.

"Let's just hope that her nature is good, with that sort of strength I don't fancy being around if she's bad tempered," observed Duo from over the stable door.

Heero exited the stable and closed the door firmly behind him. "I don't think she's mean spirited, her eyes are too soft for one. I think she's just eager to get a decent meal into her belly, probably thinks after the spontaneous feeding before that it's going to be a while before she gets anything else."

"If she doesn't slow down she's certainly going to get colic," said Duo as he watched the mare bolting the feed down her throat as fast as she could.

"Got any house bricks?" asked Heero.

"Now, Heero, you can't go hitting her on the back of the head to slow her down, that's not fair," replied Duo.

"I'm not going to belt her one, I want to put them in the feed bin to slow her eating down," sighed Heero.

"Oh. Sorry. How does that work?"

"Simple. You put a couple of bricks in the feed bin and the feed naturally spreads around the bricks. She has to fossick around the bricks to get the food and thereby slow down in her eating." Heero looked a little smug at getting one up on Duo.

"Okay, Einstein, I'll believe you," smiled Duo. "I think there's a few bricks out the back."

Heero duly set off and found what he needed, returning a couple of minutes later with two clean house bricks. "These should do nicely," he said to Duo as he stepped back into the stable. "Now, watch." Heero walked over to the feed bin and tried to push the mare's head out of it for a moment. "Come on, Scythe, I'm not going to take the food away from you but you need to slow down or you're going to make yourself sick."

"Heero? Horses can't vomit.[5]"

"I know that. It's just an expression, Duo," retorted Heero, knowing full well that the vet was teasing him again. He tried again to shove the mare's head out of the feed bin. Reluctantly, Scythe moved slightly, giving Heero just enough time to drop the bricks into the feed bin and pull his arm out of the way before the mare squashed his arm against the side in her haste to get back to eating.

The addition of the bricks to her feed bin had the mare foxed for a moment. She paused to consider this turn of events and then decided that the bricks weren't going to harm her in any way and so continued to eat. It was a little harder though this time as she had to work her way around the bricks to get to the feed.

"Wow," whistled Duo. "Sure does slow her down." The vet watched as the horse continued to eat but a lot slower than before.

"Trick of the trade," smirked Heero as he exited the stable. A whinny from the paddock reminded him that Zero was still waiting for attention. Heero sighed. "I'll go get the big fellow," he said to Duo and after hanging up the mare's halter and lead rope, he picked up Zero's from his stable door and proceeded out to the paddock where Zero was standing at the gate looking rather affronted at being forgotten.

"Sorry, Zero," said Heero as he slipped the halter over Zero's nose and buckled it up.

Zero nuzzled at his master, smelling the scent of a strange horse but accepting the carrot he was offered. As Heero led his horse towards the stable block so Zero danced a little, putting extra spring into his step and arching his neck. 

Duo leaned against the sliding doors to the stable block, watching the approach, a smile on his lips. "Someone is trying to impress the ladies," he chuckled.

"He's nothing but a show off," growled Heero and turned to the horse that was still dancing on the end of the lead rope. "Zero! Settle down and behave yourself. That's no way to act in front of a lady."

Zero ignored his master, he was more intent on finding out all about this new horse that had appeared. His scenting of the animal told him that it was a mare, and Zero liked mares. He arched his neck even more, putting extra spring into each step and showing himself off as best he could.

Leading his wayward stallion into the stable block, it took all of Heero's strength to keep Zero at his side and get him into the crush. Finally Zero was locked in, much to his annoyance. He wanted to introduce himself to this female. Resignedly he stood whilst the liniment was applied to his leg, shaking his head and giving little snorts from time to time as if voicing his impatience. The mare hadn't moved from her feed bin though, completely ignoring the stallion's little calls to her.

Once the leg was treated, Heero led the horse to his stable and let him go. Zero immediately went to the side of the box where he could see the mare through the railings that separated the stables. Each stable had wooden partitions built up to around five foot, then railings went from the top of the wood to the ceiling, allowing the occupants to 'talk' to each other but preventing them from taking a bite out of one another.

Zero called again to the mare but the only sign she gave of hearing him was to cock an ear back. Her head stayed firmly in the feed bin. Zero continued to give low whinnies and grunts and then gave up, going to his own feed bin to see if he'd gotten his carrots or not. Hungrily he began to eat. He could try to converse with the mare after he'd eaten.

Heero hung over the stable door watching Zero's antics, a smile playing on his lips. Duo came up behind him and pressed his body to the back of Heero's, wrapping his arms around Heero's waist and nuzzling the accountant's neck.

"I don't think she's interested in Zero," said Duo softly as he began to press feather kisses to the back of Heero's neck.

"She's more interested in food, not that I blame her," replied Heero. "Mmm... Nice."

Duo's hands began to rub gently over the fabric of Heero's shirt as he pressed a little closer.

"He's a horny bastard," remarked Heero as he watched the stallion take another look in the mare's direction.

"He's not the only one," murmured Duo and ground his pelvis against Heero's rear. He let his hands drop to Heero's hips and then slip to the front of Heero's groin where he palmed the growing hardness. "I'd say that owners are definitely like their animals, someone else here is a little horny by the feel of things."

"Ahhh..." Heero moaned and rocked his hips. He managed to turn around and found Duo's lips, sealing them to his own in a torrid kiss. His hands went on a journey of discovery, rubbing Duo's hard length through the front of his jeans. Lips parted and Duo's head sank to Heero's shoulder as he thrust lightly into the touch. Suddenly Heero pulled away. "Yuk! Duo, you have horse slobber in your hair and on your clothes."

"Shit! I thought I'd only ended up with it on my arms. Damn horses and their salivating when you do their teeth. Now you know why that's one of my least favorite jobs in practice," Duo moaned. "Fuck, I'll have to take a shower and wash this lot."

"I'll help if you like," murmured Heero.

"Now that's an offer I might take you up on."

Heero felt the warmth flood southwards. He'd never showered with Duo and the thought of seeing his boyfriend completely nude, skin covered in water, was an image that sent his hormones into overdrive. His cock immediately stood to attention. "You would?" The words were soft and held a pleading edge.

Duo closed his eyes and took a deep breath before replying. He'd wanted to share a shower with Heero for a while now, but it was his shyness that was stopping him. Time for him to conquer that obstacle, besides, the help with his mane of hair would also be welcome. "You think you could handle a shower with me and this mess of hair?"

"I'm sure I could," replied Heero. Actually he was damn certain he could!

"Okay then, let's get back up to the house, this hair takes ages to dry. We can come back down later and see how Romeo and Juliet are doing."

Heero's breath hitched and he felt dizzy with excitement. He let Duo lead him out of the stables and back to the house.

***

The water ran warm and Duo stepped under the spray, feeling the heat ease his tired muscles. He let the water run over and through his hair, soaking the mass of chestnut. The sound of the bathroom door opening and closing alerted him to Heero's presence. The accountant had said he would join Duo in the shower shortly, having a few things he wanted to do in the kitchen first, namely putting their dinner on to cook whilst they showered. Duo felt his body flush and it wasn't from the hot water either. He was still a little body shy, never having been naked in front of anyone before other than his mother and that was when he was a little boy so that didn't count.

Heero could sense that Duo was a little uneasy and did his best to make his boyfriend feel as comfortable as possible with his presence. Heero wasn't the least bit embarrassed about his body; he'd kept it toned and knew he was in pretty good shape. He slid the shower curtain aside and stepped into the cubicle. Duo had his back to him, tendrils of wet hair hung all about his form, obscuring the majority of Duo's nude body from his view. Here and there he caught glimpses of creamy skin through the hair and felt himself getting excited. It was hard not to when you had a gorgeous creature like Duo, naked, wet and in the shower with you.

Heero did his best not to stare, instead he reached for the shampoo bottle. "Would you like me to shampoo your hair for you?" he asked, keeping his voice neutral.

"Umm... Yeah, if you want to," replied Duo as he turned around. 

Heero's breath caught. "God's, Duo. You're breathtaking." Heero couldn't help the awe in his voice. Duo truly was beautiful. His wet hair clinging to his body giving him an air of the surreal. Heero felt like he was taking a shower with a merman. Despite his promise to himself that he wouldn't let his eyes wander, he couldn't help it. They found a will of their own and completely deified Heero's orders to stop. He drank in the beauty of the other man, following the rivulets of water as they ran over the creamy skin of Duo's chest, bypassed a caramel nipple and continued down over taut stomach muscles to disappear into the thick nest of hair at Duo's groin. His eyes paused to again appreciate Duo's cock which was currently at half mast. A soft moan escaped his throat and his own cock stiffened rapidly.

Duo's eyes weren't idle either. Swallowing hard he'd taken the plunge and turned around to face Heero, knowing his body was on display. His eyes raked hungrily over Heero's form and he licked his lips in appreciation. Smooth, tanned skin covered defined muscles, the ripple of water over Heero's body adding to the visual feast. Duo's eyes traversed the planes of Heero's abdomen and came to rest on Heero's cock which was jutting proudly from Heero's groin. He felt his own cock stirring to the sight before him and let it harden without feeling any embarrassment.

Having perused his boyfriend's body enough, Heero thought he'd better get down to business before Duo became uncomfortable with Heero's scrutiny of the vet's body. He quickly squeezed a generous amount of shampoo from the bottle and turning Duo back around so he wouldn't be distracted, Heero began to work the slippery stuff through Duo's locks.

Duo moaned softly as Heero worked first the shampoo and then the conditioner through his hair. Heero's fingers felt good against his scalp, massaging and working the conditioner through the thick strands. When he was done, Duo found himself being turned around and pushed slightly back under the spray, Heero's fingers aiding the rinsing of the soap from his hair. Occasionally their hips would brush and send tingles dancing down Duo's spine and making certain that his erection didn't dwindle in the slightest.

"May I?" 

Heero's words broke through the haze of pleasure that Duo was currently lost in and he opened eyes he wasn't aware he'd closed to see Heero standing in front of him with a wash cloth and the soap. Duo nodded. "Please."

Heero gently began to clean Duo's body, working the soap and cloth over the smooth skin, stopping to tease Duo's nipples as he caressed the vet's chest.

Duo's breathing hitched as his nipples were teased and tormented to complete stiffness. His moans came a little louder and when Heero's hand wrapped around his cock, he didn't object in the least. 

Gently working the cloth between Duo's spreading legs, Heero soaped the sac as his other hand curled around Duo's length and began to stroke slowly. He dropped to his knees and washed Duo's legs, all the time keeping a steady up and down movement to Duo's cock. Having washed his boyfriend's legs, Heero was face to head with Duo's impressive arousal and Heero licked his lips. He ached to taste the vet, had wanted to for some time. He hoped that Duo wouldn't object but he couldn't wait any longer. He eased his head forward and darted his tongue out for a taste.

"Ohhh..." moaned Duo and looked down. "Oh, God," he murmured as he watched Heero's tongue run around the head of his cock and then tease at the slit. "Ah, more."

Heero was happy to oblige, teasing the crown with his tongue, flicking across the join of foreskin and teasing at the slit. The drops of precum were like the finest of wines and Heero savored the taste. He leaned closer, placing his hands on Duo's hips to steady the pair of them. He opened his mouth and gently sucked Duo's penis inside, working his tongue over the swollen length as he kept up a light suction to the organ.

Duo thought he'd died and gone to heaven. He'd never had anyone go down on him before. It was... Wonderful. Duo's hips rocked steadily, hands fisted through Heero's locks whilst moans and grunts of encouragement spilled from his mouth.

Heero was in seventh heaven. Duo tasted divine and Heero couldn't get enough. He alternated between suckling lightly on the head and then swallowing as much of Duo as he was able, running his tongue over every bit of Duo's penis that he could. He sensed that Duo was getting close, the moans and increase in Duo's thrusts told him as much and he gently cupped Duo's balls, rolling them in his hand and adding to the pleasure he was gifting his boyfriend.

"Oh, shit. Heero, that's just sooo good. I can't hold it any longer, I'm gonna come, baby." With a final roll of his hips, Duo felt the familiar uncoiling in his gut as the fire of his orgasm took hold, then flowed through his body and released from his cock in thick, creamy jets.

The balls in his palm began to tighten, Heero heard Duo's words and pulled his mouth back a little and prepared to receive Duo's gift. His mouth was suddenly flooded with hot seed as Duo's cock swelled and then pumped the vet's release into Heero's hungry mouth. Heero's throat swallowed reflexively, drinking all of Duo's essence down and when Duo's cock began to soften he licked around the head, making sure he'd gotten every last drop before letting the organ slide out of his mouth completely.

Slumping against the tiles, Duo rode the last of the euphoria, his body humming. His senses returned and he cracked an eye open to see Heero smirking in front of him. 

"Did you enjoy that?" Heero asked.

"Oh, yeah. I've never had a blow job like that before. Actually, I've never had a blow job," returned Duo with a sheepish look on his face. "Thank you."

"I enjoyed it, Duo. It gave me almost as much pleasure as it did you."

"Mmm... I think I could get to like that." Duo eyed Heero's still hard cock and before he could change his mind, he dropped t his knees and quickly sucked Heero into his mouth.

"Aaa... Fuck!" Heero was completely taken by surprise by Duo's actions and it was all he could do to remain standing. He was so close to orgasm, having sucked Duo off turning him on more than he'd thought possible. He wouldn't last long at this rate. Heero gathered that Duo hadn't done this before and was touched that the vet would want to return the favor. He didn't expect it and whilst Duo's actions were sloppy and far from expert, what he lacked in technique he more than made up for in enthusiasm. "Fuck, Duo. I'm going to..." Heero didn't get a chance to finish as his release exploded from his dick and shot into Duo's mouth causing the vet to gag and choke.

Easing his mouth back of Heero's cock, Duo coughed. Heero's release had taken him by surprise and sent him gagging. He was disappointed that he hadn't managed to swallow Heero's come, but he did manage a little of it. Duo wasn't too sure what to make of the taste. It was slightly salty and bitter, leaving a funny taste in his mouth. He guessed he could get used to it though. He felt strong hands gripping his arms and pulling him to his feet.

"Arigato, Duo. You didn't have to..."

"I wanted to, Heero. I wanted to see what it was like, I've never done that before but I liked it. I hope you did." Duo turned his face away, hiding the blush.

"Duo, I loved it," replied Heero and turned Duo's chin around so he could kiss the vet.

"Mmm... I think we will have to try this again some time."

"Any time you want to practice, just say the word, Duo. My body is yours."

"I think I will have to take up religion again," snickered Duo.

"Huh?"

"I think I need to pay homage on a regular basis." Duo gave Heero a wink. "Now though I think the hot water is running out and I'm starting to prune." Duo turned the taps off and stepped out of the shower stall. He wrinkled his nose and sniffed the air. "What's that I can smell?"

"Oh fuck! The dinner, it's burning," shouted Heero and grabbing a towel he shot out of the bathroom and to the kitchen.

Still in the bathroom, Duo snickered. "Well, I'm not quite so hungry now, I've had my appetizer so I guess the main course can wait a little while longer."

~ * ~ 

tbc...

Author's notes: Yup the dreaded foot notes. I pop these in mainly because I have to remember that most people out there do not understand horses to the depths that I do and it can be confusing. I'm trying to keep them relatively simple and easy to understand but if you have any questions relating to my explanations or simply want a little more info on anything in the fic then please, e-mail me and I'll do my best to explain it for you.

[1] Strangles: This is a highly contagious disease amongst horses. The virus starts by raising the temperature sharply, a discharge from the nose follows and then there is swelling found in the jowl (jaw) section which is the abscess forming. Usually once a horse has the disease it needs to be kept isolated and generally it's better to let the disease run its course. Sometimes a vet is needed to lance the abscess if it refuses to burst on its own. Not a pleasant disease but not usually fatal.

[2] Drench: No, it doesn't mean to soak the horse! A tube is passed down the horse's nostril and into the stomach, then liquid paraffin oil is poured down into the stomach to remove any sand deposits and other rubbish accumulated in the horse's gut. It isn't painful but you have to be very careful that the horse swallows the tube and it doesn't go into the lungs instead, if it does you can literally 'drown' the horse. Believe me, it has happened.

[3] Colic: Colic in a horse is like a stomach ache in a human. It can be caused by many different things, the most common being sand in the gut, too rich feed when the horse isn't used to it or the animal eating way too fast. If not caught and treated quickly it can be fatal. The fatalities usually occur because the horse, in pain, kicks at its belly and tries to lie down and roll. If it succeeds in rolling around then chances are it will twist an intestine and this is when it becomes almost impossible to treat.

[4] Rasping: Horses teeth are continually growing and given the way they chew their food, the bottom jaw moving in a sort of circular pattern against the top jaw, the teeth often wear down unevenly. Quite often this uneven wear leads to sharp points on the outer edges of the molars which can cut into the gums and inner cheek. Rasping the teeth, or filing them, brings the teeth back to a more even surface and allows the horse to chew its food correctly and reap the benefit of the nutrients.

[5] Vomiting: Believe it or not, horses cannot vomit.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Dinner wasn't as ruined as Heero had thought, it was a casserole and by leaving the stuck bits on the bottom of the pan, Heero was able to extract enough from the remainder to provide a reasonable meal for the two of them, even if it did have a slightly burnt taste to it. Duo had teased his boyfriend about being distracted and letting their dinner spoil; teasing that Heero suffered in dignified silence, refusing to rise to the bait. He knew he owed Duo a lot and if he couldn't take a little tormenting then he wasn't worthy of Duo's company; he also knew that if he opened his mouth to retort then Duo would only continue and he would end up coming out the loser anyway. He'd already experienced the vet's sharp mind and witty humor. No, it was much better to suffer in silence.

With dinner finished and the dishes done, they decided to take a last look at the two horses before locking up the stable block for the night. Walking towards the stables, hand in hand, Heero thought again about how lucky he was to have found Duo. The man truly had a heart of gold and was an excellent vet and wonderful companion. The day he'd lost the competition with his fall had also been the day he'd lost his heart, even if he wasn't aware of it at the time. 

"Luck's in," said Duo softly as they stepped inside the stable block. "She’s still alive."

"Well, that's nice to know," replied Heero.

"It's certainly a bonus," chuckled Duo as he headed for the feed shed to grab some carrots. Returning a moment later he found Heero inside the mare's stable, untying the haynet. "What's up?" he asked.

"Nothing, she's finished the haynet so I was going to fill it up again for her."

"Ah. Spoiling her rotten already, I see," snickered Duo as he held out a carrot for Scythe.

Zero banged on his stable door and gave a low whinny. He hung his head over and craned his neck around to see what all the fuss was about and why he wasn't getting any of it.

Scythe shuffled across the stable to take the carrot from Duo's hand, the spark in her eyes seemed just a little bit brighter.

Zero banged again and gave a series of grunts to voice his displeasure at not receiving any attention.

"Someone's jealous," stated Duo as Heero slipped out of Scythe's stable with the empty haynet.

"Don't worry, I'll get to Zero in a minute," replied Heero as he bolted the stable door and then disappeared into the feed shed to fill the haynet again. Duo had agreed with him that hay would be good for the mare and he intended to keep the net as full as he could at all times. He quickly filled it and pocketing a few more carrots, headed back to the stable.

Zero banged his door yet again and gave a low grunt. Why was this other horse getting all the attention? Zero was used to having his master fuss over him and he wasn't too pleased that this other horse was stealing away the affection, especially when he'd tried to 'talk' to the mare and been completely ignored. No, Zero wasn't happy at all.

Heero slipped inside Scythe's stable again and retied the haynet, dodging the mare's attempts to push him out the way to get to the food.

"I can't believe that she's still stuffing her face like that, not after the feed and the other haynet she's had," said Duo. "Surely her stomach must be full by now."

"I'd say it's going to take a few days before she settles down with the feeding habits."

"Yeah, that's true. After being starved for so long you can't blame her for wanting to shove as much down her gullet as she can."

Zero gave a loud neigh.

"Okay, son, I'm coming," said Heero as he exited the stable and walked over to where Zero was all but climbing out of his stable. He pulled a carrot from his pocket to give to the stallion, Zero snatching it possessively. "Hey!" snapped Heero. "Where's your manners?!"

"If I didn't know any better I'd say he's pretty pissed at you, Heero."

"Now that's stating the obvious," replied Heero as he tried to pet the stallion. He offered another carrot, Zero snatching it just as quickly as he had the first one. "That's enough!" scolded Heero. "You keep that up and you won't get anymore."

Zero ignored the words and the tone, he wanted his carrots and he wanted them now. That other horse had been taking all the affection and attention that his master usually lavished on him and to put it mildly, Zero was annoyed. Scythe put her head over the stable door to see what all the fuss was about and Zero immediately flattened his ears, stretching slightly in her direction and baring his teeth.

"What the hell has gotten into you, Zero? That's no way to treat a lady," admonished Heero and gave the stallion a smack to the neck. "Behave yourself!"

Zero pulled his head back and gave his master a 'look' before giving Heero a quick nip to the arm and then scooting back into the stable and turning his rump to the door.

"Ow! Fuck!" yelped Heero and rubbed his arm. Before he could reprimand his horse though, Zero had disappeared into the box and stood with his tail facing Heero. "Why you little shit..."

"Yup, I'd say he's really pissed at you." Duo couldn't help but laugh, the scene before him was just too funny and he found himself clutching his sides as the tears rolled down his cheeks.

"It's not that funny," growled Heero as he pulled his shirt sleeve up to check on the bite.

"Actually, it's rather hilarious," hiccupped Duo as he tried to control his laughter; and failed.

"Damn animal, nearly drew blood," stated Heero as he stared at the bruise that was forming from the bite.

"You can't really blame him," said Duo as he came over and took Heero's arm to inspect the damage. "Ouch, he got you a beauty."

"He usually has good ground manners," snapped Heero. "Looks like I'm going to have to have a few lessons with him in regards to his behavior."

"Don't be too hard on him, Heero. He's just jealous, that's all. You've been paying a lot of attention to Scythe and not nearly as much to him so naturally his nose is going to be put out of joint."

"You studied animal psychology as well?"

"Sort of, but it's common sense, Heero. All this time there's just been you and Zero, now you bring another horse into the equation and of course he's going to feel left out, neglected. He sees you paying attention to the mare and wants to know why he's not getting any. I have some stuff up at the house that will take the sting out of that for you."

"So, what do you suggest I do then, Doctor Doolittle?"

Duo snickered. "Loved Eddie Murphy in that; there's times when I wish I could talk to animals like he does in the movie, sure would make diagnosis of their ailments much easier."

Heero shook his head in amusement.

"It's really quite simple, my dear Heero. All you need to do is go to him first, pet him and give him his carrots and any other attention that you usually would first; that way you let him know that he's still the number one. Go to Scythe afterwards. She won't mind in the least. You know about pecking order?” [1]

Heero nodded.

"Well, that's it in a nutshell. Zero was here first, he's boss cookie and Scythe knows it so she's not going to be put out in the least if you tend to Zero first." Duo looked quite smug and pleased with himself.

"You do have a point, Duo. I'll give it a try starting tomorrow; right now I'm not in the mood to deal with his petty jealousy, I'd probably belt him one for biting. Actually I shouldn't let him get away with it but it's too late to reprimand him now, he wouldn't know what it was for."

"Smacking him one isn't going to solve the problem and you're right, reprimanding him now won't do anything. Start afresh tomorrow. Now, let's go back to the house and I'll put something on that bite for you. Tomorrow's Monday and we both have work. We will need to get up a little earlier too seeing as how there's two animals to be tended to before we go to work." Duo turned around and went to turn off the lights, Heero followed and waited by the large doors to help close them when Duo came out.

They went back to the house and Duo put some ointment on Heero's bite. With the bite treated, Heero made a 'phone call to Bob his farrier and arranged for him to come out on the 'morrow, somewhere around three to trim the mare's feet and re-shoe Zero, then with hot chocolate in hand the pair sat down to watch a movie before retiring to bed.

***

Duo had been right, looking after the two horses did take more time, even with Duo's help. After mulling over Zero's insecurities and jealousy, Heero tended to his stallion and left Duo to look after Scythe. They decided to feed both horses out in the paddocks from now on, it would save time as they wouldn't have to wait for them to finish eating before cleaning out the stables and doing the rest of the work involved with caring for a horse. 

They carried the feeds out to the bins in the paddocks. Duo thought it would be best to pop Scythe in the paddock next to Zero's, that way they could get to know each other over the fence and if need be, Scythe could move out of biting range. With the feed's in the bins and the addition of two more house bricks to Scythe's bin, the pair went back for the horses. Heero led Zero out first, the gray seemingly a little more docile this morning after his 'display' the previous evening. The bruise from the bite had turned a lovely shade of purple during the night and Heero was aware of it each time his shirt pulled against the skin. With Zero safely in his paddock, Heero went back to the stables to see if Duo needed a hand with Scythe.

"Come on, girl," coaxed Duo as he led the mare from the stable. She was moving stiffly, more from her feet than anything. "Don't worry, your feet will be much better this afternoon once the farrier has been and trimmed them up for you."

"Do you think I should get her shod, Duo?" Heero asked as he returned.

"No, I'd leave it for now, especially with the hoof that has that touch of laminitis in it. Once that's cleared up and she starts to put some weight on, her feet should improve and we can reassess the need for shoes then."

"Okay. You right with her or do you want a hand?"

"I'm fine, Heero. It might take us a while to get to the paddock so if I'm not back in half an hour, send out a search party for me," Duo chuckled.

"Sure you don't want to take a cut lunch and a water bag with you?" [2]

Duo laughed. "Love your sense of humor, Heero."

"You're corrupting me well," replied Heero with a smirk.

"That I am," stated Duo. "I'll be back shortly... I hope." Duo turned and with the mare moving slowly, made their way out to the paddock nearest the stable block.

Heero picked up the manure bucket and 'poop scoop' and headed into Zero's stable to clean up whilst his boyfriend was busy with Scythe. He'd finished Zero's stable and had started on the mare's by the time Duo returned.

"You haven't chucked Scythe's shit out on the pile yet have you, Heero?"

"No, it's still in the bucket. I thought you might want to take a look at it." Heero knew that a lot could be learnt simply by studying a horse's droppings.

"Thanks." Duo went over to the bucket and peered inside. Just as he'd thought a lot of the feed had passed through the mare's gut without being digested properly, confirming his suspicion of sand in her digestive tract. Duo fetched a pair of gloves and another bucket.

"What are you doing, Duo?" Heero asked as he came out of Scythe's stable from raking the sawdust.

"Just going to see if I can get an indication of how much sand she has inside and also if there are any worms in here," replied Duo as he lifted a portion of the manure out and put it in the other bucket. Taking the bucket over to the hose, Duo turned on the tap and added a generous amount of water to the bucket, then turning off the tap he carried the bucket out the back of the stable block and began to swish the water around.

Heero followed along, curious to see what the vet would find.

As the manure 'dissolved', so Duo began to pour the water off, along with the broken down manure which consisted of mainly bits of undigested chaff and lucerne. When all that remained in the bucket was sludge so Duo's gloved fingers sifted through the remains. "Fuck!" he whistled through gritted teeth.

"How bad is it?"

"Take a look, Heero."

Heero peered into the bucket and was stunned at the volume of sand he saw there. Mixed in with the sand were the remains of worms, most red and round in shape with the odd white one. "Bloody hell, she's riddled with sand and worms."

"You can say that again. The sooner we can drench her, the better. I'd also like to give her another dose of wormer, this time through the tube when I drench her. Those are mainly round worms and nasty little buggers to get rid of. Dosing her through the tube will enable me to give her a much more concentrated wormer, one that will directly target those shits and get rid of them quicker and more effectively."

"She's never going to put on condition whilst carrying a gut load of worms and sand," muttered Heero.

"No, she won't. Look, all being well I'd like to drench her tomorrow. She should be a little steadier on her legs by then and able to take the dose."

"Right. I'll help you."

"Thanks." Duo emptied out the bucket and cleaned it before replacing it.

Heero finished off the stable chores and the pair of them went back to the house for breakfast before heading in their separate directions for work.

***

Scythe lipped up the last of the feed in the bin and chewed, lifting her head to gaze around her. The paddock she was in was nice, large and well grassed. She could smell the scent of fresh water and slowly walked over to where the full trough sat. She drank her fill and then took a better look at her surroundings. There were several large, shady trees scattered about, plenty of grass, sweet water to drink and best of all - no sand. Scythe lifted her head and sniffed at the air, scenting the smell of gum trees, fresh air and hay. She looked around to see where the hay smell was coming from and began to follow her nose. Tied to one of the lower branches of a large gum tree she found a haynet stuffed to overflowing. She didn't need a second invite.

Zero finished off his own feed and moved away from his bin to find a nice spot to roll and then settle down to some serious grazing. The movement of the mare attracted his attention and then Zero decided to ignore her. She hadn't been receptive to his attempts to 'talk' to her yesterday so why should today be any different? Having enjoyed his roll, Zero got up and shook himself from head to toe, the scratchiness of the sand against his skin and coat had felt good, sort of like rolling out the wrinkles. He moved off a couple of paces and lowered his head to graze, feeling a lot more content after his master had lavished attention on him and only him so far that day. To Zero it seemed as if his little reminder to his master about who was the boss here had served its purpose.

Having eaten half of the contents of the haynet, Scythe decided to leave the rest for now and see if the grass tasted as good as it looked. It had been a long time since she'd eaten any of the green stuff that she'd forgotten what it was like. Her head lowered and she began to graze, delicately biting off the long blades and chewing them. It was much easier and less painful to chew now too since that nice human had taken away that horrible thing in her mouth. She didn't like having her mouth forced open with that other 'thing' though and had hated the cold metal object that had been put inside. The sound and feel of that metal as it worked over her teeth had upset her, but she hadn't had the strength to object. As the rasp had grated over her teeth so her jaw had vibrated, shaking her eyeballs and making her feel most uncomfortable. She had to admit though, once it was over she'd felt a lot better. It was wonderful to be able to chew without suffering pain with each move of her jaw.

And she wanted to chew!

The grass tasted wonderful, sweet and rich and more importantly, there was a lot of it! Scythe settled down to some serious eating, aware of the stallion's eye on her from time to time from the next paddock but choosing to ignore him for now and fill the seemingly never ending chasm that was her stomach.

***

Duo breezed through the morning consults; he'd gotten better at handling Nrobbuts since Heero had taken the time to patiently coach him in computer skills. He could now load all the client files with minimal fuss and had even conquered the evils of getting the thing to print out receipts. Yes, Duo was feeling rather smug. Having finished the morning's work and cleaned down the consulting room, Duo headed back to the house to make lunch and check on the two horses. Just as he was about to head out the door, the 'phone rang. Retracing his steps, Duo answered, "Maxwell."

His eyes lit up as he heard Quatre's voice on the other end of the line. Five minutes later, he'd hung up and was making his way back to the kitchen to add to the sandwiches he'd already finished. Quatre was dropping by with some paperwork and news on their acquisition.

Heero arrived home ten minutes before Quatre rolled up the driveway, Duo had barely had the chance to inform his boyfriend of the Inspector's impending visit and share a kiss and cuddle before the blonde man was knocking on the door. Heero went to change whilst Duo let their guest in and made them all a drink.

Sitting down at the table, a mountain of sandwiches between them, Quatre filled them in on the latest in regards to the mare as they ate. "The society is currently in the process of drawing up the papers to take our Mr Muldoon to court for neglect, I'd say the preliminary hearing will be in a week or two. Meanwhile the society recognizes the fact that the horse needs veterinary attention and care that Trowa is unable to provide at the shelter with his limited space and resources. They are happy for the horse to remain in Doctor Maxwell's care; all expenses will be covered by the society for drugs, treatment and feeding," he added looking directly at Duo. "So no fiddling the bill, Duo, and making it less than what it should be."

"Would I do that?" asked Duo innocently.

"Yes." Two voices sounded the affirmative in tandem.

"In regards to Heero taking over ownership of the mare... Pending the outcome of the court hearing the society will need to look at re-homing the mare once she has recovered enough. I have spoken with my superiors in relation to Heero taking her and they have asked me to do a preliminary check on you, Heero. It's nothing much, just some background information, employment, past history with animals, how you intend to look after her and so on. That's what I'm here to do now, if that's okay with you?"

"Fine by me, Quatre. Ask away and I'm happy to answer," replied Heero.

"And I will vouch for him in regards to the horse's future welfare," added Duo with a smile.

"Great!" Quatre beamed at them both. "I'll get out the paperwork just as soon as we've finished lunch." Quatre took another sandwich. 

Heero wondered exactly how the blonde managed to stay so slim with the amount of food he managed to pack away into that slender frame.

***

After lunch was finished, Quatre drew out the necessary paperwork and began to grill Heero, filling in the spaces on the forms and adding footnotes where they were warranted. 

"Shit! You weren't kidding when you said the society is very thorough, were you?" stated Heero as he sat back feeling mentally exhausted.

"We have to be very careful as you can appreciate. No sense in rescuing an abused animal and then sending it back out into a similar circumstance, now is there? With a horse it's even more in-depth for obvious reasons. I apologize for all the questions and invasion into your privacy, Heero, but the society has to be sure that she's not going to end up in the same position again."

"I know that Quatre and I'm not offended, actually I'm pleased to see the society doing such a thorough job."

"What I want to know," began Duo, "is do they have a space on that form for Heero to tell you what color undies he wears each day of the week?"

"Nani?"

"I beg your pardon, Duo?" The blonde looked shocked; Heero looked confused.

"Well, it seems to me that the society wants to know just about everything else about Heero so why not add the color undies he wears each day? Or how many times he pees in twenty four hours?" The mischief danced in Duo's amethyst eyes while the smile on his lips grew broader.

"Duo? Shut up!" Heero had turned a bright shade of red with his boyfriend's comments, but even his color wasn't enough to rival the deep crimson that Quatre had turned.

"I think I'd rather forget you said that, Duo," stated the blonde.

Duo simply snickered.

"Can you tell me what treatment you've given the mare so far, Duo?" Quatre asked, subtly changing the subject.

Duo reeled off the treatment that he and Heero had administered to Scythe yesterday evening, adding that the farrier was due that afternoon to trim her feet and the remaining treatment that Duo intended to administer as the horse improved.

Seemingly satisfied with Duo's answers, Quatre asked if he could see the horse and the vet stood up to take him outside to the paddock. "I don't need to check on the facilities," the inspector said, "I already know your set up, Duo, so that won't be a problem with the society."

"That's nice to know," replied Duo as they approached the paddock.

The three halted when they reached the paddock railings, Quatre's eyes softened as he looked at the skinny state of the mare. "You know, it doesn't matter how many times you see an abused animal, it never gets any easier to accept," he said softly.

"No, it doesn't," said Duo sadly. Heero opted to remain silent.

"Are you sure that you still want to 'adopt' this mare, Heero? I mean, there's a lot of work involved in getting her back to a healthy state again and even with Duo's expert care things can and do go wrong. If you're having any second thoughts I suggest you tell me now and we can cancel the paperwork and no one will think any less of you for doing so." Quatre turned his steady gaze to Heero.

"No. I have no second thoughts. She needs this, needs someone to take care of her and help her regain her strength. I've said it before and I'll say it again; underneath all that rough hide and bag of bones is a nice horse, and I want to see it blossom." Heero promptly shut up, feeling more than a little embarrassed with his words.

A genuine smile spread over the blonde inspector's face. "I'm glad," he said softly and then turned to look at Zero who had ambled over to the fence to see what all the fuss was about. "That's your horse? The one Duo's treating?"

"Hai. That's Zero."

Quatre gave a low whistle. "Nice animal, Heero."

"Thank you. I think he is too, but then again, I'm biased."

"You weren't too happy with him last night," Duo snickered as they all walked over to where Zero was standing with his head over the fence obviously looking for attention; and carrots.

"Oh? What happened?" asked Quatre, turning to look at the vet as they walked.

"Zero got a little jealous of all the attention Heero was paying to Scythe..."

"Scythe?" questioned Quatre.

"Yeah, that's what Heero called the mare. We didn't know what her name was, you didn't mention getting a name from that Muldoon guy and we couldn't keep calling her 'the mare', so Heero named her Scythe."

"The marking on her forehead, looks like a scythe," added Heero as they halted where Zero was patiently waiting. Heero rubbed his horse affectionately between the eyes and then produced the expected carrot.

Zero munched happily on it and then began to wuffle and search for more.

"Ah, I see. I'd be surprised if Muldoon would be able to remember her name, he seemed to be having enough trouble remembering his own and what day of the week it was."

"Anyway," continued Duo, "getting back to last night. Scythe was getting all the fuss and attention and Zero didn't like it so when Heero went to give him his carrots, Zero snatched them. Heero reprimanded Zero for trying to have a 'go' at Scythe over the stable door and Zero bit him."

"Ouch, I bet that hurt."

"It did," said Heero dryly as he produced another carrot. "You don't really deserve them you know, you rogue." Heero's words held an underlying affection to them though.

Zero knew the tone, his master wasn't displeased with him so Zero snuffled at Heero's pockets for another carrot. This time though it was Duo that gave him the orange treat and Zero's attention immediately left his master and focused on the vet.

"Shit! He really does love those things, doesn't he?" laughed Quatre.

"You better believe it," snickered Duo. "It costs Heero more for the carrots this animal eats than for the rest of his feed."

"And he changes his loyalties to suit who has the most carrots," sighed Heero.

Quatre couldn't help but laugh, it really was quite comical.

"Yeah, give him a carrot and he's your friend for life," muttered Heero.

"Still, he's a magnificent animal, Heero. One of the best I've seen and obviously well cared for. That will go down really well with the society. I don't think you'll have any problems with being granted ownership of Scythe," said Quatre as he stared at the gray. "Well, I'd better be going; things to do, places to be, animals to rescue, paperwork to file and people to prosecute. You know how it is."

Duo grinned. "Say hello to Trowa for me."

Quatre blushed. "I will. Oh, it looks like you have a visitor."

Both Duo and Heero looked towards the rear of the house where a white ute was pulling in. 

"That's Bob," said Heero.

"Bob?" asked Quatre.

"The farrier. He's come to trim Scythe's feet and re-shoe Zero."

"Ah. Okay, I'll leave you two to it then." Quatre turned and shook both Duo's and Heero's hands. "I'll be in touch somewhere in the next couple of days and let you know how things are progressing regarding the prosecution and your application, Heero."

"Arigato."

"See ya, Quatre."

"Bye, guys." Quatre walked back to his car and left. 

Heero and Duo walked up to greet the farrier. "Do you think the society will let me take Scythe on a permanent basis?" asked Heero as they walked.

"I'm sure they will, Heero. Especially if Quatre has anything to say about it. He's a really good judge of character that guy. He seems to have a sixth sense about him when it comes to people and what they're like; why do you think he's so good at his job? The society knows it and trusts him completely when it comes to re-homing animals. He's never been wrong yet and he certainly won’t be wrong when it comes to Scythe and you either." Duo gave his boyfriend a warm smile.

"Arigato, Duo." Heero returned the smile feeling a little better for Duo's reassurances.

The farrier stepped out of his ute and gave the property an appraising look. Spotting Heero and another guy walking towards him he shut the door and turned to meet the pair. "Hey, Heero, how are you doing now?"

"Hi Bob. I'm fine, thanks for asking. Bob, this is Doctor Duo Maxwell, he's the vet that owns this place. Duo, this is Bob, my farrier."

"Pleased to meet you, Bob." Duo extended his hand where it was shaken by a rough, calloused but gentle one.

"Likewise, Doc."

"Now, what was this you were telling me about a new horse on the 'phone, Heero?"

"I'll fill you in on all the details whilst you're shoeing Zero," replied Heero. "Duo needs to talk to you about her as well as she's got a few problems with her feet."

"No problem. Where is the big fellow?"

"Down here."

"You can drive your ute down closer to the paddock to save lugging all that stuff with you if you'd prefer," said Duo.

"Thanks. I think I will," replied Bob and got back into the ute.

Heero and Duo walked back down towards the paddock, Bob driving behind them.

Zero spotted their return and came back to the fence to greet them. His ears pricked up when he saw the farrier and he let out a loud neigh. That got Scythe's attention and she raised her head to see what the fuss was about.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph," muttered Bob as he got out of the ute again and stared at the mare.

~ * ~ 

tbc.....

[1] Pecking Order; I'm sure most of you know what this is. Basically the animal with the strongest, more dominant personality is the 'leader' of the group. Usually the last horse in is at the bottom of the ladder and will only rise up by standing up for itself and challenging the others. The dominant horse though generally gets in first and establishes itself as the boss before the other has a chance. My retired Showjumper Teddy Bear, whom Zero is based on, stands only 14.1 hands high and although he's the smallest horse on the property, he is boss of the paddock! The big 16.3 hand Warmblood literally runs away when Bear approaches.

[2] Cut lunch and a water bag: More of our quirky Aussie humor for you. If someone says this it means that wherever it is that you're going is a long way away, hence the need for food and water to survive the trip. :)

Bob the farrier is based on my own farrier who is called Bob and not only an excellent farrier but has a great sense of humor as well.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22 

Bob simply stood and stared at the black horse. "That the new one?" he asked.

"Hai, that's Scythe."

"Bit on the skinny side, isn't she?"

"She's an R.S.P.C.A. case of neglect," began Duo. "I'm sometimes asked to be the consulting vet on such cases. She was reported by someone as being left to fend for herself in a bare paddock."

"Shit!"

"Heero convinced me to give her a chance and not to put her down so that's why she's here. Heero's hoping to take over ownership of her," added Duo.

"It's appalling what some people do to dumb creatures," stated Bob. "I hope they're going to throw the book at whoever was responsible for this."

"Remains to be seen. Apparently the guy that owns her is suffering from senility or something. He bought her for his granddaughter but from the report that the inspector got, no one has been near the mare or the paddock for weeks," Heero said as he caught Zero and brought him out of the paddock.

"Damn shame," muttered Bob as he put on his leather apron and collected the tools he needed from the large steel box on the back of the ute. "I certainly hope that the horse gets to stay with you then, Heero. Lord knows she will have an excellent home and not want for anything."

Behind them both, Duo snickered softly. He was beginning to like Bob the farrier even more.

Heero shot him a glare.

"What?" Duo held up his hands in mock surrender. "I'm only agreeing with Bob. Even you have to admit that you spoil your horse."

"I don't."

"You do."

"I'd quit now, Heero, everyone that knows you knows how you molly coddle Zero here," said Bob.

"I do not molly coddle him."

"Then what would you call it?" asked Duo with his hands on his hips.

"Taking care of him," huffed Heero and turned to pet Zero's muzzle.

Bob grunted. "Call it what you will but it's still molly coddling to me."

Heero shook his head and shot a look at Duo that clearly said, 'Don't you dare open your mouth!'.

Duo opted to lean against the fence and keep his comments to himself.

"How's he been since the fall?" asked Bob as he began the task of removing Zero's shoes.

"He's doing well now, thanks to Duo's expert care," answered Heero. "He strained the tendons and ligaments pretty badly but Duo's treatment has worked and now he's pretty much recovered completely. I've started to put him back into slow work but as you can see, he needs re-shoeing."

Having finished removing the four shoes, Bob began the task of filing the first hoof in readiness for the new shoe. His rasp slipped easily over the hard wall of the hoof, leveling it up. "I'll take a touch more than I usually would off the heels for you, Heero," said Bob. "That way there won't be too much strain on his tendons as you begin to work him again. I'll also put on lighter shoes than usual to help a bit. Once he's coming back into stronger work and he's due for new shoes again, I'll return to the usual ones you have him shod with for jumping and return the hoof to its usual slope."

"That's a good idea," stated Duo. "Anything that will help to ease the pressure on those ligaments and tendons will be good, they need time to strengthen."

"Thanks, Bob." Heero was quite happy to let Bob work his miracles; after all he wasn't only a good farrier, he was an excellent farrier especially when it came to horses with problems with their feet and legs. The old saying 'No foot, no horse' sprang to Heero's mind. Never had truer words been spoken. Bob had an uncanny knack when it came to corrective shoeing so Heero was certain to let him do as he thought best for Zero. The fact that Duo agreed with the farrier only cemented Heero's faith in the man and his abilities even more.

Bob continued to work away; having gotten the hoof filed to his liking, he fetched a set of ready made shoes from the back of the ute and took them out of the plastic wrapping. He returned to Zero and lifted his hoof again, measuring the shoe against the wall of the hoof and then strolling back to the anvil where he hammered the shoe to fit Zero's foot. Once the shoe was to Bob's liking, he placed it against the hoof and taking a nail out of his mouth where he'd stuck several, he began to hammer the nail through the hole in the shoe and then the wall of the foot until it protruded out from the other side. Taking the hammer, he fitted the claw end over the tip of the protruding nail, twisted and snapped the end off. Another nail followed and Bob continued the procedure until there were eight nails holding the shoe to Zero's foot. Shifting his position, Bob brought Zero's hoof forwards, over his hip to rest on his thigh and began to hammer down the nail ends. The process was repeated to the remaining three feet and after forty five minutes, Bob was finished.

"There you go, big fellow," said Bob as he straightened up and gave Zero a pat. "All finished."

"Thanks, Bob," said Heero and turned to take Zero back to the paddock.

"Now, what about this mare?" asked Bob as he took a few moments to ease the kinks from his back and wipe the sweat from his eyes. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a packet of cigarettes and lit one up.

"I'll let Duo explain about Scythe whilst I fetch her," Heero said as he returned from putting Zero back.

Bob turned to look expectantly at the vet. "I take it she has some problems with her feet?"

"Yes, yes, she does. She's got a touch of laminitis in the off fore and all her hooves are badly neglected. I don't think they've been trimmed for ages judging by the growth, and lord knows if or when she was last shod. I can't do the farrier work she needs, I'm only trained in the very basics; she needs more expert care. I think it would be best to simply keep her trimmed for now and once the laminitis is gone and the hooves begin to return to something resembling normal, maybe then look at getting her shod. I'd appreciate your thoughts on her though once you've had the chance to assess her feet."

"Happy to help," replied Bob and ground his cigarette out under his boot. He looked again at the mare as she approached with Heero, especially the way she was walking. Bob could learn a lot about the horse's hoof condition and problems associated with them simply by observing the animal moving. He summed up Scythe's predicament pretty quickly.

"Here she is," said Heero as he brought Scythe to a halt in front of Bob and Duo. 

With the mare now standing in front of him, Bob could get a more in-depth look at her feet. He whistled softly. "They are in bad shape, aren't they?"

"Yeah," replied Duo.

"The rest of her is in pretty bad nick too. Poor thing," murmured Bob as he walked over to Scythe and introduced himself. He let the mare sniff his outstretched hand and then his sweaty shirt before moving to run his hand along her hollow neck. "People who let animals get to this state should be starved themselves," he muttered under his breath. "Criminal, that's what it is, criminal. Shit, I've never seen such a skinny animal. Never mind, you'll soon put weight on with Heero." Bob continued his little monologue as he ran his hands over the mare's bony hide. "Let's have a look at those feet of yours," he said softly and ran his hand down Scythe's foreleg to grasp at her fetlock joint and raise the hoof.

Scythe wobbled for a moment an then re-balanced herself on three legs, turning her head to sniff at the farrier's back as he cradled her foot.

"She's lucky," said Bob after he'd examined all four feet.

"Lucky?" asked Heero.

"Doesn't look like there's any permanent damage to the hooves," replied Bob as he fetched his rasp and pincers.

"I couldn't see anything much wrong with her feet myself when I examined them," said Duo. "I was concerned about the off fore though, the one with the laminitis in it. I'm hoping that she doesn't drop in the sole." [1]

"Far as I can tell, it hasn't got to that stage yet, seems like you've got to her before the disease could take a good hold." Bob picked up Scythe's off fore. "Sole is still concave and the frog is in reasonable condition too. They look a little dry to me if anything, but the good tucker should help them to recover."

"How long do you think before her feet come good?" asked Heero as Bob began the task of trimming off the excess hoof with his pincers.

"Hard to say. Given her condition her feet will improve as her body condition does. Trimming them every six to eight weeks is going to be necessary to encourage them to grow back correctly. I'd say you're looking at roughly six months before she's going to have feet worth shoeing. I agree with you, Doc, I wouldn't put shoes on her for sometime yet."

"I didn't think it would be a good idea. Better to let them return to health and proper shape first." Duo moved to scratch Scythe behind the ears, something she seemed to love.

"What you going to do with her once she has recovered?" asked Bob as he worked his way laboriously over the hooves one by one.

"I’m hoping she'll be a reasonable riding horse for Duo here."

"Ah."

"I'm hoping to have Zero back on the circuit in another three to six months, depending on how his leg holds up. Duo likes horses and as you know it can get boring riding by yourself all the time so I was going to teach Duo how to ride and then I'll have someone to ride with..."

"And I'll have a form of relaxation and a way of letting go of all the stress from the practice," added Duo with a grin.

"Good idea," said Bob as he straightened up and after wiping the sweat from his eyes, bent to pick up the last foot. "Horses and going for a ride out in the bush is a great way to relax."

"You have horses, Bob?" asked Duo politely.

"Used to, not anymore though, don't have the time."

"What sort did you have?"

"Standardbreds. [2] I only kept a couple though, used to race them and did okay with one of them."

"Sounds like a lot of hard work," said Duo as he watched the file sweeping across Scythe's hoof.

"It was. I only did it mainly as a hobby. It can be quite expensive as well, not only are there the usual costs such as the feeding, shoeing and stuff, but then there's all the harness; and the cost of the entry fees into some of the races..."

"I can imagine," chuckled Duo. "Have any luck with them?"

"Won a few country races but they weren't good enough for the big city meets and that's where the good money is. Gave it away after a while, the farrier business began to get larger so I didn't have the time to train the nags and if you ain't got the time to put into the animal then it's time to quit."

"True," replied Duo.

"There you go." Bob lowered the hoof to the ground and stood back to survey his handiwork. "She should feel a lot more comfortable now and manage to walk a bit better."

"Thanks, Bob. You've done a marvelous job on her," smiled Duo.

"She's starting to look halfway decent now," added Heero. "Now all we have to do is get the weight back on her and she'll be a completely different horse."

"You know," began Bob. "I agree with Heero, Doc. She's got some nice lines to her and even if she doesn't recover enough to be a riding animal, she's a mare and it might be worth mating her and Zero. Could get a nice foal out of it." Bob ran his eye over Scythe again as he lit up another cigarette.

"That's something worth considering," pondered Duo. "That's providing of course that she's fertile."

"I think we should take each step as it comes," stated Heero. "I'll just pop her back in the paddock, Bob, and then sort you out with some money."

"No rush, Heero," replied the farrier as he removed his apron and began to put his tools away in the ute.

Scythe found it much easier to walk now that her feet had been trimmed and shaped, she pricked her ears and began to show the first signs of interest in her new home as the human led her back to the nice green paddock. Immediately she was back inside she lowered her head and began to eat.

"What do I owe you, Bob?" asked Heero as he returned to where Duo and the farrier were trading stories of the various equines they had met in their careers.

"Eighty for Zero and thirty for the mare."

Heero took out his wallet and counted out the bills, handing them over to Bob. "Thanks, Bob. When do you think it best for Scythe's next trim?"

"Give me a call in roughly six weeks and I'll book her in. Shouldn't be as much to do next time around so it will be cheaper too."

"That doesn't bother me," replied Heero. "Just as long as she gets the best treatment I can afford and begins to recover."

"She will. I'll see you again in about six weeks then." Bob reached out and shook hands with Heero before turning to Duo. "Nice to meet you, Doc."

"You too, Bob." Duo returned the offered handshake.

Bob got back into his ute and with a wave set off for his next appointment.

Once the ute had disappeared from view, Heero wrapped his arms around Duo and partook of a sweet kiss. "I've been aching to do that all afternoon," he murmured as he buried his nose in Duo's thick hair.

"Know what you mean," replied Duo as he nuzzled Heero's neck.

"Want to go back up to the house where we can kiss and cuddle for a bit before it's time to start dinner and bring in the beasts?"

"Love to, Heero," Duo sighed.

Hand in hand they headed back to the house to share a little 'quality' time together before the evening consults, horses and dinner demanded their attention.

***

"What seems to be the problem with Tess today, Mrs. Simpson?" Duo asked the middle aged woman as he ruffled the Dalmatian's ears.

"Well, it's a little bit embarrassing," began Mrs. Simpson.

"That's okay, just take your time and try to tell me what's going on, Tess seems sprightly enough." Duo turned his attention to the dog so as to put Mrs. Simpson a little more at ease.

"Yes, she is. I'm afraid though she's developed a bit of a problem with her bladder."

"Oh?"

"Putting it bluntly, she wets herself a lot."

"Ah."

"I'm afraid I have to keep her outside now, she doesn't seem to know she's doing it and it's ruining the carpets."

Duo gave the woman a smile. He could see by the coloring of her cheeks she was uncomfortable with discussing Tess' problem. "She's had a couple of litters, hasn't she?" Duo fetched his thermometer and took the dog's temperature.

"Yes, she's had two litters and then we had her 'fixed' last summer."

"And she's only just started this... Incontinence problem?" Duo checked the temperature - normal.

"It's been going on for about four weeks now and getting worse. You can see the yellow staining on the rear end of her coat."

"Hmmm." Duo looked at the back of the dog where the white hair was patched with a yellowish stain.

"I've tried scolding her, putting her outside, but she doesn't seem to know she's doing it and she was perfectly house trained before. I've tried to wash her as best I can too but as you can see..."

"Okay. I need to feel her abdomen," said Duo as he crouched down by the dog and placed his hands upon her belly. "I think I'll turn her around though, don't need anything bathing me," he added with a chuckle and turned the dog so as he could palpitate the abdomen without the risk of the dog 'leaking' on him. Examination complete, he stood up again. "I'll see if I can get a urine sample from her." Duo turned and took a kidney dish off the shelf. "Bring her through and we'll go out the back, hopefully she'll want to squat and I can get a sample."

Mrs. Simpson led Tess along the hall behind the vet and through the back door to the rear of the building. As soon as Tess saw the lawn she nosed around and sure enough, squatted.

Duo was quick with the kidney dish and got his sample. "Okay, let's go back inside now and I can check this and eliminate any other cause for her problem."

The pair went back inside and into the consulting room once more. Duo rummaged in the cupboard and brought out a packet. He removed a strip of colored paper from the box and dipped it into the urine sample. Waiting a couple of minutes for the paper to do its job and react, he placed it against the scale on the back of the box to check the results. Smiling he turned to face Mrs. Simpson.

"Everything is normal with the sample, no excess protein in the urine which was what I was concerned about."

"So what's wrong with her then?"

"Let's see. She's six years old now?"

"Yes."

"Was sterilized last year and had a couple of litters before that."

"That's right."

"Mrs. Simpson, have you heard of HRT? Hormone Replacement Therapy for women?"

Mrs. Simpson blushed. "Yes, I have, but what does that have to do with Tess?"

"I'm certain that she's undergoing a similar thing to menopause in women. She's not getting the hormones in her system any more like she used to and consequently the small sphincter muscle that's responsible for closing the neck of the bladder has weakened and is letting the urine escape. That muscle relies on hormones to keep it thick and muscular and do its job. Tess isn't producing that hormone anymore so the muscle has weakened."

"Can you do anything for it?"

"Yes, yes, I can. What I want to do is give her a hormone shot now, if it is what I said, you should start to see a difference in her and her wetting habits within a week."

Mrs. Simpson looked relieved. "If it is what you say, how often will she need these shots?"

"Once every six months should be enough. There are tablets, but personally, I don't think they're as reliable as the shots," replied Duo as he fetched a needle and syringe. "I'll just go through to the drug cabinet and get a dose for her."

Heero looked up from where he was sitting behind the reception desk as Duo walked out of the consulting room and headed for the small 'fridge at the back of the reception area. "What's up?"

"Need a hormone injection."

"For you? I thought your hormones were fine," Heero said with a snicker.

"Not me you idiot, for Tess. Ah, there you are." Duo removed a small bottle and plunged the needle through the rubber stopper on the top. He pulled the plunger back on the syringe and the cloudy fluid rolled in. "That should do it," he muttered and replaced the bottle in the 'fridge. "Any more after this one?"

"No. That's the last client tonight."

"Good. Want to turn the sign around on the door for me?"

"My pleasure," replied Heero and got up to do as the vet asked whilst Duo headed back into the consulting room.

"Now this shouldn't hurt, Tess," murmured Duo as he took the ruff of the dog's neck and swabbed before inserting the needle in and depressing the plunger. "There you go, all done." Duo rubbed the area and then tossed the used needle into the 'sharps' container and the syringe into the bin.

"That's it? All finished?" asked Mrs. Simpson who was looking a little pale. She didn't like needles.

"Yup, all finished. Let me know how she goes along and if the problem stops. If it doesn't then I'll need to do further tests; if it does, then you will need to bring her back in six months for the next injection."

"Thank you, Doctor Maxwell."

"You're welcome. You be a good girl, Tess, and no more wetting on the carpets," said Duo to the dog and gave her a friendly pat.

Tess licked his hand.

Duo opened the door and escorted Mrs. Simpson and Tess out to where Heero was waiting for them. "My assistant, Mr. Yuy will look after you, Mrs. Simpson."

"Thank you again, Doctor Maxwell." Mrs. Simpson turned her attention to Heero who had taken the file from Duo and was busy logging the information onto the computer.

"Will you be paying the account tonight?" he asked politely.

"Yes, please."

Leaving Heero to sort out Mrs. Simpson, Duo went back into the consulting room to clean up, moments later Heero joined him. They discussed a few of the evening's cases whilst cleaning up and in no time everything was done.

"Don't know about you, Heero, but I'm starving."

"Good job then that I made a shepherd’s pie," replied Heero as they walked hand in hand from the surgery to the house.

"Shepherd’s pie?" questioned Duo. "I don't think I've tried anything like that before. What is it?"

"Ahh. Put simply its minced meat, carrots, peas, onions and gravy topped with mashed potatoes."

"Sounds great."

***

Zero finished his dinner and left his feed bin to take a drink of water. He raised his muzzle from the bucket and stared through the bars at the mare in the stable next to him. She puzzled Zero, he'd tried to be polite, pranced a bit to show off his fine physique but she continued to completely ignore him. Since that first whicker of greeting she'd paid him no heed at all. Zero didn't like it when she ignored him. He knew he was handsome, well colored with neat legs and a charming face, after all, the mares and fillies he'd seen at the many shows he'd attended with his master all stopped to stare at him and whinny to him.

He couldn't figure out why this mare wanted to ignore him. He'd tried to be polite, wanted to greet her and make her welcome, but all his advances had been rebuffed. He knew she'd heard him, he'd seen her pretty ears twitch. Sure, she wasn't looking all that good at the moment but Zero could sense a sweetness to her and he really wanted to get to know her. He dropped his head again and took another drink from the bucket.

Scythe had finished her feed in record time and was busy making short work of the haynet. She'd enjoyed her day out in the lush, green paddock and hoped she would be able to go out there again. The food she was receiving was plentiful and tasted divine; the addition of those orange things had her mouth watering too. The only thing she didn't like was those heavy things the human had put into her feed bin. She had the devil of a time getting the feed down her throat quickly when she had to try and dodge those things that seemed determined to try and hide the food from her. She'd come to the conclusion that this wasn't a bad place at all, rather nice actually, despite some of the things that had been done to her so far. Whilst some had been unpleasant, none had actually hurt or caused her any pain. She did feel a bit better now after having had her feet trimmed and that horrible thing removed from her mouth. Yes, she could get to really like this place and the two humans that seemed to want to look after her.

Now if only she could figure out what this other horse wanted.

She knew the gray was trying to be polite and friendly; well, other than the attempt to bite her yesterday, but she didn't have the strength to pay him much attention at the moment. Oh, he was handsome enough and she was flattered that he wanted to take an interest in her, but with all her body systems so out of whack she really didn't feel all that sure of herself. She cocked her ears back, feeling the penetrating gaze of the gray. She knew he was watching her, she'd spotted him glancing at her all day but all she was really interested in for the moment was food.

Water dribbled slowly out of Zero's mouth as he stood and stared at the mare again. He was determined to get her attention, make her notice and acknowledge him... Eventually. Swallowing the last of the water he held in his mouth, Zero shifted and stood alongside the stable partition. He rested a hind leg and let his head and ears droop, locking his knees so he wouldn't fall and began to doze. [3]

Scythe ignored the stallion, still pulling at her hay net until all the hay was gone. She sniffed around the sawdust, lipping up any escaped wisps and then went back to her feed bin. She found a few scattered pieces of chaff and eagerly picked them up with her sensitive muzzle. Licking around the feed bin she made certain she'd gotten every scrap of food possible before mimicking the gray and taking a nap.

***

A sharp pain lanced through her gut and Scythe woke from her doze with a groan. She shifted her feet, changing her weight from one hind leg to the other and tried to doze off again. Another pain tore through her and she gave a grunt, shifting once more. The pain didn't stop though. Slowly it began to increase a little in intensity and frequency. Scythe hunched her back and drew her legs underneath her body trying to ease the cramps from her gut but it didn't work. She turned to look at her belly but couldn't see anything to be causing her pain. She moved a little, walking over to her feed bin and nuzzling around. Another cramping pain shot through her and irritated, she kicked at her belly.

The pain began to build; Scythe was sweating now and moving restlessly around the stable. She stopped a couple of times and cocked her tail but nothing happened. She felt as if she wanted to pass manure but when she tried, nothing happened. The irritation continued and she began to paw at the ground as well as kick at her belly. Another groan forced its way from her throat and she heard a concerned whinny from the gray.

Zero woke from his sleep to hear the mare pacing around. He wondered what she was up to but didn't bother to investigate, she would only ignore him. He closed his eyes again, attempting to go back to sleep but keeping an ear on the mare anyway. Her restless movements continued and Zero could hear the soft groans coming from her stable. He listened as she paused, he heard the stomp of her hoof as it connected with the ground again and then the sound of her moving once more. Zero raised his head a little and opened his eyes. He glanced through the bars to see the mare pacing, occasionally she would stop and kick at her belly or paw the ground. Then Zero smelt something.

Fear.

The mare was sweating and fear was clearly in the scent. 

Zero was wide awake now and shifted his position so he could raise his muzzle and push it between the bars to try and talk to the mare. Something was wrong. He gave a low whinny.

Scythe returned the whinny with a low one of her own. It was laced with pain and fear. Another wave of pain passed through her and she sank to her knees, rolling a little to try and ease it.

Sensing that something was terribly wrong with the mare, Zero gave a loud neigh; a distressed grunt was all he got in return. Zero began to pace in his own stable, watching the mare as she tried to roll again. Fear began to touch Zero and he let fly with a scream. He tore over to the stable door and raised his hoof, bringing it down against the wood. Time and time again he banged the door, his loud neighs adding to the noise.

Scythe didn't care what the stallion was doing, her eyes were glazed with pain, her belly felt on fire and she didn't know what to do to ease it.

Zero pounded away, neighing his anxiety as loud as he could and hoping his master would hear him.

***

Duo rolled over in his bed, slowly surfacing from the lovely dream he was having. Somewhere he could hear a banging but his dream was too nice to give up just yet. Suddenly he found himself wide awake with Heero shaking his shoulder. 

"Duo! Wake up, something's wrong in the stables."

Duo blinked his eyes and then heard the banging again, this time he also heard the shrill neigh as well. "What the fuck?"

"Something's wrong in the stables," repeated Heero as he turned to leave Duo's bedroom. "I'm going to see what's up."

"I'll be right with you." Duo scrambled from his bed and grabbed his jeans from the floor. Quickly he pulled them on and met Heero in the hall way. "Hang on a sec." Duo dived back inside his bedroom and reappeared seconds later with a baseball bat in his hand. Seeing Heero's wide eyes, he took a moment to explain. "If it's burglars then I don't want to be facing them unarmed," he said softly.

Heero nodded. "Come on."

Quickly they ran through the house and outside towards the stables. As they got closer so they could hear Zero's frantic neighs and banging. Heero pulled the sliding door open and Duo entered, bat in hand. It was dark inside and Duo immediately headed for the door to the drug room. It was locked still. Heero aimed straight for Zero's stable.

Having found no sigh of an intruder so far, Duo turned away from the drug room and headed for the light switch. He flipped it on.

Heero had managed to get to Zero and as his eyes adjusted to the dark he could see the distressed state of the stallion. He placed a hand on Zero's neck. "What is it, boy? What's wrong?" The lights came on then and Heero heard the groan and sounds of thrashing coming from Scythe's stable. He left Zero and immediately went to Scythe's door. What he saw made his blood run cold and his mouth went dry. "DUO!" he screamed as he unbolted the stable door.

"What is it?" shouted Duo as he ran across the breezeway to Scythe's stable.

"It's Scythe. She's got colic."

Duo's eyes swiftly took in the scene and he paled. "Oh fuck!" he whispered.

~ * ~ 

tbc......

 

[1] The sole on a horse's hoof should remain slightly concave, with a disease such as laminitis the sole can 'drop'; in other words - become convex and this then comes into contact with the ground surface and as it is a sensitive area, the horse becomes distressed, lame and very uncomfortable.

[2] Standardbred; These are a recognized breed here in Australia and are a race horse of sorts. They pull what's known as a 'spider' a light type of cart with a driver, similar to the trotting races but a Standardbred does not trot, it paces. When a horse trots it moves diagonal pairs of legs together; when a horse paces it moves the pair of legs on the same side together. E.g.: Trot; left hind leg and right front leg together. Pace; left hind leg and left front leg together. More information on the Standardbred can be found here: http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/2004/archives/2004/roadtests/horse_breeds/standardbred_horses  
http://www.standardbred.org.au/sppha/index.html

[3] Horses have the ability to 'lock' their knee joints so they can sleep standing up without falling down once they relax and drift into slumber.

The ailment with Tess is taken from an episode of 'Harry's Practice', a vet show here in Australia.

I've had a couple of people asked me what a 'ute' is. The word 'ute' is short for utility, a type of car we have here in Aussie. It has the front of a car with a bench seat that usually seats 2 or 3 people. The back is an open tray with sides roughly 18 inches high around and a tailgate that drops down. I'd guess it's similar to what Americans call a pick up.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23 

Duo's expert eye ran over the distressed horse, summing up the situation quickly. "Be careful!" he yelled to Heero who had managed to get the door unbolted and was trying to approach the mare.

Scythe rolled and kicked out, narrowly missing Heero who dodged the flailing hooves just in time. Heero made his way around the horse, talking all the time in a soothing voice as he tried to get to her head and clip on the lead rope. "Easy, girl. Steady, Scythe, it's going to be okay. Relax, girl, I'm not going to hurt you, only want to help you."

The sounds of the human's soothing voice reached her panicked ears and Scythe tried to focus on it. It calmed her a little but then the spasm of pain was back and she groaned, rolling to her side and trying to get some relief.

"We have to get her up, Heero," cried Duo in desperation as he also entered the stable intent on doing whatever he could for the mare. "She could twist the bowel if she keeps thrashing like that."

Heero's heart was in his mouth. He knew what the consequences of a twisted gut were and it wasn't pretty. Surgery would be Scythe's only hope if that happened and given her emaciated condition he didn't think she would survive the anesthetic; let alone the operation itself. The mare paused in her thrashing and Heero took the chance to lunge forward and clip the lead rope to her halter. "Come on, girl. Up!" Heero encouraged as he tugged on the lead rope. "UP!" he cried and leaned his weight on the rope.

Through the dim haze of pain, Scythe registered the tugging and words of encouragement. With a grunt she threw her forelegs out in front, paused and then gave an almighty heave, shoving herself up to stand on shaky legs. Her head hung low, her sides going in and out like bellows as sweat ran down her flanks and sawdust matted her coat.

"Good, girl," said Heero as he patted the thin neck, wincing at the state of the animal.

"Hurry, Heero. We need to get her into the crush as quickly as possible so I can treat her," said Duo appearing at Heero's side. Duo put himself against the mare's right shoulder whilst Heero took up residence against her left. Between the two of them they managed to push, shove, encourage and force Scythe to stagger across the breezeway and into the crush. "Talk to her, Heero. Pet her, make a fuss of her and for god's sake, keep her standing. I'll be right back." Duo disappeared to unlock the drug room door and fetch the items he would need.

Heero rubbed at Scythe's forehead, he stroked her cold ears and petted her scrawny neck, all the time keeping up a soft, encouraging monologue. He didn't care if he wasn't making any sense, it was the tone he used that was important. He knew he had to keep Scythe calm, shock was a terrible thing in horses, ninety percent of the time they didn't come out of it. "You're going to be all right, girl. Duo's going to make you better. Good girl, hang in there, sweetie, you've come too far to give up now," Heero soothed.

Across from the crush, Zero watched the proceedings intently. He'd ceased his neighing as soon as his master had appeared and discovered the reason for his calling. Now he could sense that his master and that other kind human were doing everything they could to help the mare. Zero gave a low whinny of encouragement.

Scythe flicked her ears, the soothing tone of the human helped to ease her fear. His gentle touch smoothed away the pain; if only for a moment. The soft whinny from the stallion gave her hope. She blew softly through her nostrils and then tensed again as another wave of pain ran through her gut.

"Easy, Scythe. Duo's coming," crooned Heero as he tried to ease the mare's suffering with his voice. Seconds later Duo reappeared, his arms full of equipment which he dropped to the bench.

Picking up his stethoscope and a thermometer, Duo was quickly by Scythe's side. He inserted the thermometer into the mare's anus and attached the small clip to the hairs of her tail. Whilst the temperature was being recorded he pressed the stethoscope to Scythe's rib cage and noted her respiratory rate. He felt for her pulse and recorded her heart rate. Grimly he pulled down her eyelid and then her lips to check the color of her mucus membranes. The stethoscope made it's way to the mare's abdomen where Duo listened intently before removing the thermometer and checking it. He gave a low whistle and then turned to Heero, a grim look on his face.

"Her temperature is three degrees above normal, breathing rate is accelerated and her heart rate is a hundred when it should be around forty. Her gums are almost white and there are no gut sounds."

"Which all means?"

"She's in a bad way, Heero." Duo didn't give voice to the concern that Scythe may have already twisted a gut; he thought it best to keep that to himself for the moment and hope that they had been in time to prevent that from happening. "I'm going to give her an injection of Xylazine for the pain and once that begins to take effect I'll run a gastric tube down her nose and dose her with paraffin oil. She's got a blockage in there and we need to shift it as soon as possible." Duo turned back to the bench where he'd dropped his things. He quickly selected a needle and syringe, drawing the dosage into the marked tube and then returning to the distressed animal. "Hold her as steady as you can, Heero." Duo pressed his thumb into the jugular and waited for the vessel to rise. As soon as it did he swabbed the area and then inserted the needle. Rich, red blood flowed briefly into the syringe as Duo drew back on the plunger and then it was gone as Duo injected the contents into the horse's blood stream.

"That should start to work very shortly and ease her pain. I'm going to get the tube and oil ready." Duo turned and tossed the used needle into the sharps container and the syringe into the bin. He picked up a bucket and large bottle of oil.

Heero continued to stroke Scythe's ears as he watched Duo work. He noticed the mare slowly begin to relax, her eyes taking on a glazed expression and her muscles sagging. Drool began to dribble from her lips as her mouth relaxed and her head drooped even lower. "Easy, girl. Duo will make it all better for you very soon," Heero said softly as he continued to pet the mare.

As the drug began to infiltrate her system, so Scythe found the pain easing a little, it was still there and still uncomfortable but not nearly as terrifying as before. The gentle pets also helped to relieve her anxiety and she gave a low grunt, attempting to rub her head against the human's arm to show her appreciation of his care. The stallion sent another low whinny of encouragement her way and this time she managed to respond with a low wuffle of her own.

Zero continued to hang over his stable door and watch with keen eyes. His sense of smell picked up on the fear and concern from both human and animal and whilst he couldn't help but feel naturally uneasy, he had an inborn sense that the humans would do everything they could to help the pretty mare. He gave a low, rumbling whinny, trying to let the mare know she would be all right, that these humans could be trusted to help her. Zero was quite surprised to hear the mare answer with her own low wuffle.

Duo checked the mare again. "Good. The painkiller is working and relaxing her. Now for the next stage." He turned to the bucket and emptied the entire contents of the bottle of paraffin oil into it, stirring it around. He grabbed a long, plastic looking tube and dropped it into the oil before picking up a slender, stainless steel object that looked like a pump. Bringing the items over, Duo set the bucket and pump down beside the crush and reached for the tube. A towel was slung over his shoulder and he used it to wipe one end of the tubing before draping the tubing over the towel on his shoulder.

Taking the lead rope from Heero, Duo wound it around the side bar of the crush, immobilizing Scythe's head. "Normally I would use a twitch [1] as well," he began. "But I don't think we're going to need that with Scythe. Just keep a hand on her halter, talk to her and pet her, Heero. It's vital that she stays still whilst I get this tube down her throat. If she doesn't swallow it properly it could go into her lungs and then if I pump this lot down her she'll drown and the last thing I want is for that to happen."

Heero nodded and took a firm hold on Scythe's halter. He knew what the consequences were of a horse not swallowing the tube properly without Duo having to explain. He'd never seen it happen but he had heard of a case where someone's horse had been treated for colic and the vet hadn't checked the tube properly. Unfortunately the entire contents of that bucket had gone into the poor animal's lungs and the horse had turned blue, drowning in the thick oil and died within minutes. [2] Heero knew Duo was too much of a conscientious vet to let anything like that happen, but he could at least do his own part and make the job as easy as possible for both Duo and Scythe.

Duo took the end of the gastric tube with one hand and placed his other hand over Scythe's nose. Gently he eased the tube into her nostril, the oil coating the rubbery tube making the passage easier. Slowly Duo fed the tube into the nostril, feeling against her nose with his other hand the progress of the tube. When he deemed it to be at the back of her throat, he shifted his hand to rest under her jaw, fingers pressing against her throat and epiglottis. He could feel the tube end there and gently pushed it, trying to get Scythe to swallow. Sweat ran down his bare back as he willed the mare to open up and swallow the tube.

"Come on, Scythe, swallow it for me, there's a good girl," Duo encouraged as he gently massaged the mare's throat and pushed softly on the tube.

Scythe didn't like the thing going in her nose, she hated it even more when it tickled and pressed against the back of her throat but there wasn't anything she could do to shift it; her head was held too firmly for her to shake it. She didn't have the strength to put up much of a fight and so reluctantly, she swallowed.

As soon as Duo felt the epiglottis open he eased the tube forward, sliding it effortlessly through the small opening and along the esophagus. Inch by inch the tube disappeared into Scythe's nose until only a few feet remained outside. Duo paused and took the clean end of the hose, bringing it to his mouth, he blew softly into it and then listened intently. "Good. It's in the stomach," he muttered. Quickly Duo attached the end of the tube to the pump and raised the handle, sucking the paraffin oil into the slender pump before depressing the plunger and forcing the contents into the gastric tube and on their way to Scythe's stomach.

Steadily Duo worked the pump, raising and lowering the handle, pushing the oil along the tube and into the gut where it was most needed. As the last dregs of oil were sucked up and pumped out, Duo removed the tube end and wiped it off. Bringing it to his mouth he took a lungful of air and blew hard down the tube, ensuring that all the oil was in Scythe's tummy.

"Now what?" asked Heero as he watched the proceedings.

"Now, we wait," replied Duo as he gently eased the tube from inside the mare. Once the tube was completely out, Duo tossed it into the bucket and placed the soiled utensils to the side to be cleaned later. "I'll give her about fifteen minutes for the oil to start working through her intestines and then I'll give her another shot, this drug will stimulate the natural process of peristalsis [3] in the intestine and get the contractions moving again. Hopefully the oil will find the blockage and with the contractions, aid it to slip along and come out the rear exit."

Still stroking the mare, Heero released his death grip and loosened the lead rope. Immediately Scythe let her head droop and her chin rest on the bar of the crush. "Will she be all right?"

"Hard to say. I'll be a much happier vet when she cocks her tail," replied Duo who was busy taking Scythe's vitals again. "Temp's still up but the breathing and heart rates are lower, that's the pain killer doing that. At least she hasn't gone into shock which is a blessed relief," sighed Duo.

Reaching out, Heero gave Duo's arm a squeeze. "Thanks. I know you're doing everything you can, Duo."

Duo smiled. "I love her too, Heero," he replied simply and then turned his attention back to listening for any sounds from Scythe's gut.

Patiently they waited and watched, Scythe's trembles had slowed a little and she wasn't sweating as freely. Duo gave her another injection, the one to stimulate the muscular contractions of the intestinal wall and also repeated the painkiller which would be wearing off soon as it was only a short acting one. Once more he checked for any sounds coming from the gut indicating that things were on the move.

"Would it help if I walked her about?" asked Heero who was feeling pretty useless just standing there and reassuring the mare.

"Normally I would say yes, but in Scythe's case I think it might be best to let her stand for a while. She's pretty well supported in the crush, chances of her going down in there are next to zero; I think if we try to walk her around at the moment she is likely to go down from sheer exhaustion. Better to wait a bit and give the oil and drugs a chance to work."

Heero nodded. "Okay, whatever you think is best. Is there anything I can do to help in any way?"

"Not really, unless you're feeling particularly religious."

"Huh?" Heero turned his confused eyes to his boyfriend.

"Pray, Heero. You know?" Duo raised his eyes to the heavens.

"Aa. Would that help?"

Duo shook his head in amusement. "Wouldn't hurt," he grinned. "I've done everything I can for her at this stage, all we can do is hope, wait and send prayers to whatever god you believe in."

Heero caught the twinkle in Duo's eyes.

"Doesn't hurt to have back up," teased Duo in an attempt to lighten the somber mood.

"Duo, there are some days when I have to wonder about you and your sanity," replied Heero.

"Really? You mean I'm sane?!" Duo continued to tease Heero. "And here I was thinking I would have to be insane to be a vet. Damn! You've just shattered all my illusions."

Heero couldn't help but laugh. Duo certainly knew how to take the tension out of a situation. No wonder he was so good at his job, he had that natural self assurance that enabled him to put anyone at their ease during a stressful situation. "I'll talk to you more about your sanity later. How's she doing now?" Hero nodded towards Scythe who was giving soft grunts from time to time and looked to be almost asleep.

Removing his stethoscope from around his neck, Duo checked Scythe's gut again and as he listened so a smile began to spread slowly over his face. "Much better. The gut is starting to make noises again which means something is moving inside there. Hopefully it's the blockage. Let's give her about another ten minutes and then maybe walk her around the yard once or twice to encourage the gut to work, only we will have to be careful and support her as much as possible."

Heero gave a soft sigh. Duo's words were encouraging but he could see the tension in the vet, the small lines that etched into his face told Heero that Duo was still very worried. There was only one reason Heero could think of for Duo's deep concern. That Scythe had managed to twist her intestine. His blood ran cold at that prospect.

In the two short days that the mare had been in their care, Heero had become very attached to her and the thought that he might lose her now was unbearable. He knew that Duo felt the same way and fervently hoped that between the two of them, their love, support and Duo's medical knowledge would be enough to pull Scythe through. He was again reminded how Quatre and Duo had both warned that she would be a difficult case to treat and bring back to health, that given her run down condition and many ailments it was likely she wouldn't pull through. Duo's recommendation that she be put down weighed heavily on his mind, he'd been the one to oppose it and now look at them. Scythe was suffering and there was every possibility that she wasn't going to get better; and he was to blame.

Heero couldn't help but question himself. Had he done the right thing by insisting that they give the mare a chance? Or were his reasons purely selfish? Would it have been kinder to have allowed Duo to end her misery and suffering with one shot from his humane killer? Was it fair that Scythe was suffering now because he had insisted that she would be all right? That she would pull through? All these questions and thoughts ran wildly through Heero's mind as he continued to stroke and pet the mare, confusing him and making him doubt his own mind.

"Hey, don't blame yourself, Heero."

Heero looked up into the concerned violet of his boyfriend's eyes. "But..." He didn't get the chance to say anything more. Duo shut him up with a soft kiss.

Leaning in close, Duo could see the myriad of thoughts that were passing through Heero's mind, he could see the flicker of doubt, the touch of self loathing flash through those eyes and he had a pretty good idea what Heero was thinking. He was blaming himself for Scythe's current condition. Moving closer he told Heero to stop with his thoughts and before Heero could say much, he kissed him. "This is not your fault, Heero. This is something that we knew could happen and it's a combination of events that are out of our control; so, don't blame yourself."

"I'm sorry, I can't help but think that if I hadn't insisted we give her a chance... if I'd listened to you and let you put her down in the first place then she wouldn't be suffering like this now..." Heero trailed off, unable to say any more without giving in to the lump in his throat and heavy feeling in his chest.

"No, Heero. You're wrong. She does deserve a chance. This colic is a combined result of her eating too fast, the sand in her gut, the worms and probably the good food. We've done everything we could to minimize her chances of getting colic; you put the bricks into her feed bin to slow her down, she's only getting bulk food and not the concentrates yet, the worms and sand we're doing our best to get rid of and there isn't much we can do about the rich grass of the paddock. We can only do our best, Heero. Sometimes though, nature does this for a reason, at least now we should have shifted a lot of the sand from inside her with the drench."

"But," began Heero as he raised his eyes to meet those of the vet. "You're still worried, aren't you? You think there's a possibility that she may have twisted a gut, don't you?"

Duo sighed and wrapped an arm around Heero's waist. "Yes, I'm worried. I don't know how long or how violently she was rolling around for before we got to her and that has me concerned. She may have twisted a gut but the sounds that her intestines are making now gives me the impression that she hasn't. The only way to be certain is to do either an ultra sound, and I don't have an ultra sound machine, or to open her up and I'm not about to perform major abdominal surgery on a horse at two in the morning; not that I wouldn't if it were necessary but at this stage it isn't necessary." Duo brought his other arm around and completely encircled Hero's waist. Drawing his boyfriend into a strong embrace, Duo gently ran his hands along Heero's back, soothing him as he would the horse.

"She will be okay, Heero. I've done everything I can for her for now, the rest is up to her. If she doesn't start to improve soon and I think that she has twisted a gut then I'll perform the surgery. I have to warn you though, given her condition there is every chance that she won't survive. I do believe though that it won't come to that." Duo tried to sound as reassuring as he could which isn't easy when you are worried half out of your mind. He feathered kisses along Heero's neck and jaw before locating his boyfriend's lips and taking them in a hungry, desperate kiss.

Heero clung to Duo, drawing on the vet's strength and convincing words. He trusted Duo, trusted him to tell him the truth and not gloss over it; he trusted Duo to do his best for Scythe, knowing that Duo cared much more than he was letting on and that gave him hope. Eagerly he surrendered to the kiss, needing the closeness of his boyfriend and the reassurance of the kisses.

Scythe gave a grunt and pushed at the pair with her nose, unbalancing the two men. She cocked her tail and strained, her insides bubbling away. A rush of air escaped and she lowered her tail feeling a little more comfortable.

Regaining their balance, both men looked at each other and then to the horse. "Cheeky bugger," said Heero.

At the sound of air escaping Duo's face lit up. "Now that's what I like to hear," he said with a grin.

"A horse farting?" questioned Hero. "I could think of better things to listen to."

"Think about it, Heero," said Duo as he grabbed his stethoscope and went to listen to Scythe's insides again. "If she's passing wind then it means the drugs and oil are doing their job, her guts are working again and the blockage is moving."

"Aa." A look of understanding dawned on Heero's face and he turned to rub the mare between the eyes. "Good girl, Scythe."

Duo listened to the gurgles, rumbles and general noises from Scythe's insides that indicated her intestines were working again. As he was listening so Scythe cocked her tail again and another passage of wind escaped. "Phew!" grinned Duo as he waved his hand in the air in front of his nose.

"You would have to be the first person I've ever seen get all excited about a horse passing wind," teased Heero, although he was feeling very relieved himself to hear the sound. The smile disappeared though when he got a whiff of the air. "Yuk! That smells putrid!"

"Come on, Heero. It's time to get her out of the crush and walking around. The movement will help her system and the drugs and oil to do their job. Hopefully she will pass manure very soon. Once she does I'll be a whole lot happier."

The two men opened the crush and between them managed to get Scythe moving at a slow walk. Heero continued to lead her is small circles around the outside dirt yard, Duo deeming it safer out there than on the hard concrete of the breezeway in case her legs and strength should fail and she drop to her knees. Duo followed with his eyes, noting the mare's gait and keeping a close watch on her stamina.

After ten minutes of walking and a lot more air being released - much to Heero's disgust as he was the one to cop the rich smell; Duo's amusement at his wrinkled nose and grumbles of complaint not helping the situation much - Scythe finally cocked her tail and deposited a mound of steaming manure. Instantly, Duo pounced on it as if it were gold.

It was Heero's turn to wear the amused smile as the vet poked around in the oily, slimy mess.

"This is great!" announced Duo as he continued to prod and poke.

"It's only shit, Duo," Heero replied as he led Scythe on, making certain to by-pass the vet and his little pile. Heero did know though that the passing of the manure was the best thing that could have happened, still, he couldn't help but tease the vet.

"Geeze," he whistled through his teeth. "No wonder she was in agony."

Heero brought the mare over and halted. "What can you tell?" he asked.

"Take a look at her droppings," said Duo as he poked again. "See how compact they are, sort of like bullets. There's a tremendous amount of solid food still in there, it hasn't been digested at all. It's pretty much as I thought. She's been bolting her food down so quickly that her stomach hasn't had the chance to digest it properly. It's passed on into the intestines and as the water has been drawn out it's left behind this thick, tough mass. There's no way her body could push that heavy, dry mass though and so it blocked up. The oil helped to give it the slickness it needed to slide along once we got the intestine working again."

"How can we prevent it from happening again?" asked Heero as he resumed his walking.

"I think we should try dampening her feed and breaking her feed down into smaller lots. Instead of giving her a feed in the morning and then at night, make them smaller and give her a lunchtime feed and also a supper one too, four a day should do it. I'd also add a couple more of those miracle house bricks to her feed bins."

"Would adding oil to her feed help?"

"Good idea," replied Duo. "Ordinary vegetable oil should do. I'd say put a cup full in her dinner feed, once a day should be enough."

"Right," replied Heero and made a mental note to purchase a large bottle of vegetable oil on his way home from work.

Scythe chose that moment to stop again and cock her tail. With a grunt she deposited another pile of manure on the dirt.

"There you go, Duo. Another present for you to unwrap," snickered Heero as he set off again.

Duo gave his boyfriend a 'look' but trotted obediently to the fresh pile and enthusiastically began to poke around in it. "There's a fair bit of sand in there too," he announced as he inspected the pile.

"You know something, Duo? You're the only person I know that can get all excited about a pile of shit as well as a horse farting," Heero teased. "Still, it's good that she's passing manure now, at least we can stop worrying about her having a twisted intestine."

"Yeah, that we can. If she's beginning to push the shit out then there's no way she has a twist and that's excellent news," replied Duo with a grin. "Once she passes another load we can pretty much say she's going to be fine. I'd still like to give her another dose of the oil tomorrow though, just be on the safe side and shift any remaining sand from inside. I think she's still got a bit in there."

"Probably would be a good idea,' replied Heero and paused again as Scythe decided she wanted to pass another pile of manure.

"Okay, Heero. You can put her back in the crush now. I want to take her vitals again and if they're steady then she can go back into the stable."

"Right." Heero led the mare back to the crush and secured the bars. Duo popped the thermometer in Scythe's rear end and quickly checked her heart and breathing rates. "That's much better. Her breathing rate is almost normal and her heart rate has dropped to fifty five." Duo removed the thermometer. "Temp is only a degree above normal too so I'd say the worst is over. She can go back in her stable now."

"How long before the drugs wear off?" Heero asked as he led Scythe back to her stable.

"The painkiller should stay in her system for around another forty-five minutes, the other one a bit longer, but her digestive system is now back on track so she shouldn't need any more of the stimulant." Duo busied himself by replacing the drugs and popping the used instruments by the door so he could take them up to the house and ultimately the surgery for sterilization later.

Heero stepped out of the stable and bolted the door before hanging up the lead rope. Scythe had moved to the side of the box and stood, resting a hind leg, head drooping and looking thoroughly worn out. Side stepping into the feed shed, Heero returned a few moments later with a handful of carrots.

"Ahh, a reward for the savior?" Duo questioned with a chuckle.

"I think he deserves it, don't you?" Heero replied with a smile as he went to Zero's stable.

The gray hung over the door, his eyes alight when he smelt the carrots. He wuffled eagerly and stretched his neck forwards.

"There you go, Zero," Heero said softly as he fed the horse his carrots. "You were a good boy making that racket and letting us know there was something wrong."

Whilst Heero fed the stallion carrots and praised him, so Duo stood on the other side and petted the strong neck. "Animals never cease to amaze me," he said softly. "If Zero hadn't woken you up with his noise the chances are we would have found Scythe either dead or in agony come the morning and been totally unable to help her. He's a horse in a million, Heero."

"Hai, that he is," replied Heero warmly. He fed the stallion the last of the carrots and gave Zero's ears a friendly tug. "We're going to go back to bed now, Zero. You keep an eye on Scythe for us, okay? Anything happens, you start up again."

Zero didn't understand a word his master said but he could tell from his master's scent that he was pleased with him. He nudged first his master and then the other nice human with his nose, letting them know he would be 'on duty'.

With a smile the two men left the stable block, switching off the lights and closing the door. It was three thirty and both were feeling a little more than weary. Slowly they trudged back to the house. Duo shivered, he was still shirtless, having only stopped long enough to throw on his jeans and shove his feet into his sneakers. Heero wrapped an arm around the vet's shoulders and tried to warm him up.

"You're cold," Heero stated.

"Prancing around in the middle of the night, half naked will do that to you, Heero," replied Duo. "God, I'm tired, and freezing."

"You should take a hot shower."

"Haven't got the energy. I'll take one later when I wake up again."

Heero kept his arm around Duo's shoulders, feeling the trembles as Duo's body shook with the cold. "Come on," he said as they reached the house. "Straight to bed for you."

"Yes, mother," replied Duo through chattering teeth. The sweat he'd expended earlier had dried on his skin, the cool night air taking most of his body heat with it.

Heero was concerned. He didn't like the way Duo was shivering and he wanted to get his boyfriend warmed up as quickly as possible. "Look, let me take you through to the bathroom and wash your back and arms for you. You're covered in dirt from treating Scythe."

"Thanks." Duo knew he needed to clean up before falling into bed, but he didn't have the strength. Wrestling with the colicky horse had drained the last of his reserves. He allowed Heero to lead him to the bathroom and clean him off with a warm wash cloth.

"Okay, all finished. Now into bed with you." Heero helped Duo remove his jeans and pulled back the bed covers for the vet to slide in. Once Duo was under the thick blanket and comforter, Heero couldn't help but notice the shivering continuing.

"Cold..." muttered Duo.

Unsure if he was doing the right thing or not, Heero went to the other side of the bed and slipped under the covers as well. He spooned against Duo, drawing him into his arms and against his own body, sharing his warmth. He felt Duo respond by snuggling closer, his cold feet against Heero's calves nearly making the accountant yelp. But he bore the iciness of his boyfriend's body with dignity and even stretched his own feet and legs over Duo's to give the vet more warmth. Within minutes they were both fast asleep.

***

In the stable block, Zero settled himself alongside the separating wall of the stable. On the other side of the partition, the mare stood, resting a hind leg and dozing. She was much calmer now, Zero couldn't scent any fear from her, only tiredness. He shoved his muzzle between the bars and gave a low whinny, letting the mare know he was there and would watch over her.

To Zero's surprise, the mare lifted her head and shifted her position to bring her own muzzle to the bars.

Shyly, Scythe raised her head and pushed her muzzle to the bars. She found the gray's muzzle and rubbed her nose softly against his, blowing gently through her nostrils before lowering her head and allowing herself to drop off to sleep. She felt comforted knowing the stallion would watch over her and keep her safe.

Zero felt a swelling of importance. The mare had finally 'talked' to him. It wasn't a lot but she'd shown trust by rubbing his nose with hers. Happily, Zero shifted his weight and closed his eyes to doze. Keeping one ear open, he remained on alert, trusting his hearing to let him know should his services be needed again.

~ * ~ 

tbc.........

[1] Twitch: This is a nifty gadget you can make yourself and is an excellent way to restrain a horse without hurting either it or yourself. A length of wood, roughly a foot long with a hole drilled at one end. A length of soft twine is passed through the hole and the ends tied together to make a loop. Your hand is passed through the loop and then grasps the soft upper lip of the horse. The loop is slipped over the hand to encircle the horse's upper lip and then you twist the twine until it tightens and you have a 'bunched' up, upper lip secured by the twine. It doesn't hurt the horse but takes its mind focus off whatever it is you're trying to do. 

[2] This case is based on a true event. It happened to a friend of mine's horse which went down with colic. The vet didn't check the tube properly and as such it hadn't gone into the stomach but into the lungs. The horse did turn blue and died within minutes. This vet, needless to say, was severely reprimanded by the West Australian Veterinary board and is no longer practicing but involved in other areas of vet science.

[3] Peristalsis: This is the wave like contractions that pass through the intestines and move the food through the gut.

Information for the drugs used to treat colic comes from here: http://www.ivis.org/proceedings/AAEP/2003/zimmel/chapter_frm.asp?LA=1


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24 

Duo tossed and turned, his sleep restless and disturbed. He flitted in and out of nightmares, seeing Scythe stumbling around, the groans of agony as she fought her colic rang in his ears and all he could do was stand by helplessly and watch. He tried to treat her, but no matter what he did, it didn't help. Scythe deteriorated. The nightmare changed and this time it was Heero writhing in agony whilst Duo stood by and watched. Eyes pleaded with him to do something and yet every time he tried to help, his patient got worse. His fevered mind took him back to Scythe who was rolling on the floor, her gut growing larger and larger until she exploded, covering everything around in blood and innards.   
Heero stood to the side, accusing eyes fixed on him. "You killed her," Heero's voice said. "You killed her." Then Heero turned and walked away. 

Duo tried to run after him, but the faster he ran, the more distance there was between them. "Wait!" he cried. "Wait! I didn't kill her, I tried to save her. Heero?! HEERO!!!"

"Duo, Duo, wake up! You're having a nightmare." Heero gently shook his boyfriend, trying to wake him up. He'd been sound asleep and then suddenly woken from his slumber by Duo's frantic struggles and cries of his name. The vet was obviously caught in the middle of a nightmare and Heero did his best to wake the other man. "Come on, Duo. Wake up, please."

"Huh? Wha? ... Heero?" Duo slowly came out of the nightmare, his voice hoarse, every bone in his body aching. His throat felt like it was on fire, his head thick with cotton wool. His limbs shook and trembled as he shivered; but the sweat ran freely from every pore.

"Shit! You're burning up, Duo," stated Heero as he felt his boyfriend shivering and lay a hand against the vet's forehead. Duo's skin was extremely hot to the touch and Heero began to worry. Gently he lay the young vet in a more comfortable position and climbed out of the bed. "I'm going to get the thermometer, a drink of water for you and a cold wash cloth. I'll only be a moment," he said as he shot out of the bedroom and to the bathroom. Having collected his 'supplies', Heero raced back to the bedroom and his sick friend. "Open up," he said calmly and popped the thermometer in Duo's mouth. Whilst he waited for the temperature to register he gently wiped the cooling cloth over Duo's fevered brow, wiping away the sweat and cooling the skin a little.

Violet eyes drifted shut, Duo ached to his very core. He knew he was sick, he didn't need Heero to confirm it. He guessed he was either coming down with a cold or had caught the 'flu. That would teach him for not putting on a shirt before prancing around in the cold night air. He obediently opened his mouth for the thermometer and moaned softly as the cool cloth eased a little of the heat currently burning his face.

"Fuck!" Heero looked at the temperature that registered on the thermometer.

"How bad?" croaked Duo.

"Thirty nine Celsius. We need to get it down, Duo, otherwise you're going to start hallucinating and heaven knows what else."

Duo nodded. He really didn't have the strength to object. He knew enough about high temperatures in animals to know that it was similar in humans.

"I'm going to run a tepid bath for you," said Heero as he lifted the glass of cold water to Duo's lips for the vet to sip at. "Do you have the 'phone number of your doctor handy?"

"In the telex by the 'phone. It's under 'M' for medical center. Doc's name is Po," Duo managed to whisper out, his throat feeling more like sandpaper with each word.

"Okay. I'll go get the bath ready, you rest here and once it's filled I'll come back for you. Whilst you're in the tub I'll call the doctor and see if I can get him to make a house call."

"Her."

"Pardon?"

"Doc Po is a woman," rasped Duo.

"Aa. Thanks." Heero was glad that Duo had told him that, otherwise he was likely to make a complete fool out of himself. "I'll be right back."   
Making sure that Duo was comfortable, Heero went once more to the bathroom and this time, began to fill the tub with lukewarm water. Once he was finished he headed back to Duo, finding his boyfriend dozing lightly. "Come on, Duo. Let's get you into the bath and cooled off a little."  
Duo did his best to get out of the bed but once his feet hit the floor and tried to take his weight, they buckled. He felt dizzy, his limbs didn't want to cooperate and he sank back to the mattress. Strong arms wound around him and helped him to stand again, supporting him as he was half carried to the bathroom. Exhausted he sat upon the toilet to try and regain a little strength.

"Ummm... Will you be okay to remove your boxers and get into the water or would you like a hand?" Heero blushed as he spoke.

Duo did his best to give a grin. "I think I will need a hand, Heero. My legs don't seem to want to support me. Besides, it's not as if you haven't seen me naked before."

Doing his best to hide his embarrassment, Heero assisted Duo to remove his boxers and then gently supported the vet as he climbed into the tub. With the long braid pinned up and out of the water, Heero made certain that Duo was comfortable and not likely to slip under the water and drown before going out to make the 'phone call. He noted the time: six thirty. He very much doubted that the doctor's surgery would be open but surely they had to have an answering machine or an emergency number. The only way to find out was to call. Heero found the number and dialed.

***

"You have a case of the 'flu, Doctor Maxwell," announced Doctor Po as she put away her stethoscope. Turning back to face the vet she smiled. "A few days bed rest and the medicine I'm going to prescribe for you should see you back on your feet by the weekend."

"The weekend?" Duo whispered out. "I can't... I have consults, patients to see..."

"I'm afraid you won't be seeing any patients for a few days, Doctor Maxwell. The 'flu is a particularly nasty bug and even when you start to feel a bit better it will still take a few days to regain your strength."

"But..."

"No buts. Look, I know what you're thinking, I'm a doctor too so I do understand. I'd suggest you get a locum in to look after the practice for a few days whilst you recover. If you return to work before you're well you could damage your health even more and then it will take twice as long to recover."

"I'll see that he stays in bed and rests, doctor. I won't let him return to work until he's fit enough," interrupted Heero knowing that Duo was about to voice further objections.

"Thank you. At least someone here is showing some common sense," said the doctor. "If you don't mind me asking, who exactly are you?"

"I'm Heero, Heero Yuy. I work as Duo's part time receptionist and accountant. I'm also a friend and tenant here. Duo was treating my horse for me and I needed somewhere to stay after my rental was sold out from underneath me; he very kindly offered me a room to rent."

"Ah. It's really none of my business, but I'm pleased to know there is someone else living here that can make sure he follows my instructions. Trust me, all medical people are the same, whether it be human doctors, vets, nurses or the like; they all make the worst possible patients."

"No, we don't," grumbled Duo from the bed.

"Yes, we do," the doctor fired back. "I'd know, I treat professionals all the time and when I get sick I'd have to be one of the worst for following doctor's orders. Now, you _will_ stay in that bed; you _will_ rest and take your medicine and you _will_ not return to work until I give you the all clear to do so. I shall be back on Friday to check you and if I think you're well enough you can get up then and move around a bit, but you will not be returning to work before Saturday, maybe even Monday."

Duo rolled his eyes and gave up. Arguing with Doctor Po took more energy that he had at the moment. He sank back down into the mattress and closed his eyes.

"Good," said Doctor Po with a smile on her face. She turned to face Heero. "Let's leave him to rest. Come out to the kitchen and I'll explain the medication to you."

Heero nodded and with a look back at his boyfriend, followed the doctor out to the kitchen. 

Doctor Po explained about the medication she'd written out on prescription for Duo, the dosage rate and what it would do. "Please see that he stays in bed for at least forty eight hours," she sighed. "If I know Duo he will be trying to get out of that bed the instant I'm gone. He needs to rest, let the medicine and his body fight the bug and he can't do that if he's trying to run his practice. I know he's worried about his clients, but like I said before, he can get a locum in for a few days to cover for him whilst he recovers."

"Where would he get a locum from?" asked Heero. He didn't understand all this locum business, but he did know that Duo couldn't afford for the practice to be closed for the next four or five days and he certainly couldn't run it.

"Best thing to do would be to call the state's veterinary board, they will be able to advise you of a list of locums available, unless Duo knows someone who can fill in for him," replied the doctor. "He should have their 'phone number somewhere, otherwise look it up in the directory."

"Thanks, I'll get right on to it."

The doctor picked up her bag and went to leave. "If he shows any signs of getting worse you call me straight away, okay?"

"Hai."

"Meanwhile, make sure he takes the medicine, gets plenty of rest and if he's hungry let him eat but keep it light and easily digestible for now. Once he's feeling better he can have more substantial food. I'll call back Friday morning to see him. Any questions?"

"No, I think you've covered it all. Thank you for coming out so early to see him, Doctor Po."

"That's what I'm here for. Nice meeting you, Mr. Yuy." 

Doctor Po extended her hand and Heero shook it firmly then stepped back to allow the doctor to exit the house. Once she was gone Heero headed back to the bedroom to check on Duo who was sleeping quietly. The doctor had given him paracetamol to bring down his temperature until Heero could get to the pharmacy and fill the prescription. Smiling, Heero pulled the door to a little and then went back to the lounge room to see if he could find a contact number and organize a locum for Duo's practice.

***

When Duo next woke he felt a little better, not much, but he didn't ache quite as much as before. His throat still felt like he was swallowing razor blades though and he glanced to the night stand to see a glass of water sitting there. The clock next to it informed him that it was eleven. "Fuck!" he groaned. "I've gotta get up, I'm late for surgery," he muttered and began to toss the bed covers back.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

Duo looked towards the partially open doorway where Heero stood, arms folded across his chest. "I've got consults," he rasped out.

"Not today you don't," stated Heero as he advanced into the room. "You're under strict orders to rest and recuperate."

"But, Heero. The practice..." Duo felt his resistance crumbling as his body refused to obey him. His head began to swim and reluctantly he fell back against the pillows.

"The practice will be fine, Duo," Heero began as he tucked the vet back into bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress.

"You don't understand."

"Yes, I do. Trust me, Duo. I've taken care of it for you. I rang all the clients that were booked in for this mornings consults and explained the situation to them; they were all very understanding and sympathetic to your illness. I've rescheduled all of them to new appointments. I hope you don't mind but I contacted the state veterinary board and I've organized for a locum to do the consults for you whilst you're ill; he will be here this afternoon and start with this evenings consults and then continue on until Doctor Po says you can go back to work."

Duo sighed. "Thank you. Who is the locum?"

"Someone by the name of Merquise. The board said he's very good and only does locum work, filling in for vets who want to take holidays or as in your case, fall ill."

"Ah, I've heard of him," whispered Duo. His throat was really beginning to hurt and make talking difficult. "He's supposed to be good."

"That's what the vet board said. They did recommend him so I thought he should be okay. I called the hotel in the village and they're getting a room ready for him so he can stay there for the few days he's here. I'm expecting him to arrive around two so I can show him around the surgery and he can familiarize himself with the layout." Heero reached for the glass of water on the night stand and held it for Duo to sip at. "I hope that I've done the right thing, Duo. You don't mind, do you? I'm not trying to take over your practice or life or anything, I just want to help." Heero was feeling a little unsure of his actions now. Everything he'd done, he'd done with the best of intentions in mind. Maybe he should have consulted Duo first though.

"It's fine, Heero. Really," Duo reassured the accountant.

"I'll still do the reception work and all the other stuff in the evenings, Doctor Merquise will have to handle the morning consults by himself though. I think he should be able to manage that."

"Shouldn't you be at work?" Duo asked, suddenly realizing the time and the fact that Heero was still here.

"I called the office and told them I wouldn't be in today, I explained that you were ill after spending most of the night treating Scythe and that I was waiting for the doctor to come and check you over. The boss was really good about it and asked me to pass on his regards for a speedy recovery. I'll go back to work tomorrow."

"How is Scythe?" Duo asked. The vet felt a warmth spreading through his body as Heero confessed what he'd been up to whilst Duo slept. He was deeply touched by Heero's concern, not only for himself and his health, but also his business as well.

"She's much better. I put her out in the paddock this morning and added a couple more bricks to her feed bin. I've also cut the size of the feed down as you suggested and I'll need to pop out shortly to give her lunch. She's much brighter and you'll be pleased to know there were several piles of manure in her stable." Heero couldn't help the grin as he mentioned the manure.

"Good," replied Duo. "She really needs another drench though, I should give her one today."

"You'll do no such thing! I'll get the locum to do it if it's that important, otherwise it can wait until you're better," stated Heero firmly. "Listen to me, Duo. You are not getting out of that bed for anything, understand?"

"Not even to pee?" Duo attempted his usual humor.

"Ummm... Well, I guess I can let you up just for bathroom visits, but then it's straight back to bed for you." Heero blushed a little.

"I need to go now if you don't mind."

"Here, I'll help you."

"Thanks."

Bathroom visit taken care of, Heero assisted Duo back to the bed, Duo reclining into the mattress with relief. He hated to admit it but the short walk had left him completely drained.

"I'll go make you some soup for lunch if you're hungry," said Heero after he'd replenished Duo's water.

"Thanks that would be nice."

"I'll take a run into the village to the pharmacy and get this 'script filled for you. Doctor Po said to get it as soon as possible. Anything else I can get for you whilst I'm gone?"

"No, thank you. I think I'd like to rest a bit more now though so if you want to hold off on that soup for a little while." Duo's eyes felt heavy, his bones still ached and he could feel his system begging him to sleep.

"I'll go get the 'script filled whilst you sleep then and when you wake up again I'll heat up the soup for you. Here, I've put your cell 'phone on the night stand so if you wake up before I'm back or you need me for anything, just call."

"Thanks, Heero," Duo whispered as his eyes began to drift closed and sleep rose to meet him.

Heero gently brushed the bangs away from Duo's face and then leant close to press a kiss to Duo's forehead. "Sleep, Duo. I'll be back very soon."

***

Heero completed his tasks in the village in no time. He returned home to find Duo still sleeping and so put the things away that he'd bought. He placed the small bottle of antiviral medication along with some other cold and 'flu medications on the bench top before taking the container of homemade soup from the 'fridge and putting it into a saucepan and on the stove to heat. He left it on low as he heard a car pulling up and went out to meet the visitor.

A tall, blonde man stepped out of the sleek, four wheel drive, spotting Heero walking towards him he straightened his clothes and closed the car door, turning to meet the young man. 

"Can I help you?" asked Heero as he approached the man.

"I hope so. I'm Doctor Zechs Merquise, the locum vet. I was asked to fill in here for a Doctor Maxwell whilst he's ill." Zechs stepped forward and offered his hand.

"Ah, Doctor Merquise, I'm Heero Yuy, Doctor Maxwell's accountant, receptionist and housemate. I was the one that called the vet board to request a locum. Thank you for coming." Heero took the offered hand and shook it warmly. Heero like the look of this new vet, he had a firm handshake, warm, friendly eyes and an air of self assurance about him. "I've arranged for a room and meals at the hotel in the local village for you whilst you're here, I hope that is all right."

"That will be fine, thank you. How is Doctor Maxwell?"

"He has a bad case of the 'flu. We were up most of last night treating a horse with colic and well, given the night air and the amount of energy and sweat expended on Duo's behalf I guess it was to be expected."

"Don't I know it," replied Zechs. "I've been in a similar situation myself several times in the past and probably will be in the future. How is the horse?"

"I think she will be fine, she came through the colic okay, although Duo is insistent that she needs another drench as soon as possible, but I can talk to you more about that later on. Please, would you like to come into the house for a moment whilst I check on Duo and then I'll take you through to the surgery and show you around."

The locum grabbed his medical bag from inside the car and after locking it followed Heero to the house. Heero hoped that Duo would approve of the locum vet, he seemed a nice man with a pleasant attitude so Heero couldn't foresee any problems with the clients either. Duo was still sleeping so Heero pulled the door closed and after checking on the soup that was warming nicely he took Zechs through to the surgery and showed him around. 

Whilst Zechs familiarized himself with Duo's set up, Heero explained the basic running of the surgery, the hours of business, client filing system and anything else he could think of. Zechs took a good look around, learning where most things were kept and listening to Heero's explanations. The set up was pretty similar to most veterinary practices so he couldn't see himself having any major problems with the general treating of patients.

"I work at an accounting firm in the mornings so Doctor Maxwell usually runs morning consults by himself. I'm home around one and then I assist him with any surgery he has booked for the afternoon before manning the reception and operating the computer, as well as assisting him with patients if he needs the help. I'll continue to do the same whilst you're standing in for Duo. I'll leave out all the files for the patients that you see in the morning consulting hours so you haven't got to worry about looking for any of them. Now that we work on an appointment system it's easier to locate and have the files ready to go. If you do get anyone turn up unexpected then you can easily locate the file in the filing cabinet under the owner's surname. Leave the clients' files on the reception desk after each consult and I'll log them all into the computer when I get home from my other job. If someone wants to pay their account, ask them to come back in the evening and I'll take care of it. Any questions?" Heero felt a little exhausted now, the explanations combined with the lack of sleep and worry over Duo were beginning to catch up on him.

"No, I don't think so. You've pretty much covered everything."

"If something does turn up that you're not sure about then Doctor Maxwell will be in the house so you can always contact him through the intercom system and check. Failing that I'll leave you my cell 'phone number and you can always ring me."

"Thank you. I can't see anything drastic happening and the set up here is very good and efficient. It will be a pleasure to work in such an obviously well run practice."

Heero blushed a little. "Well, that credit goes to Doctor Maxwell, he's the one that set the practice up," replied Heero.

"I think I've seen enough. You don't have anything booked in for surgery this afternoon?" asked the locum.

"No, we don't, fortunately."

"Then if you don't mind I'll take myself off to the village and get settled into the hotel. I'll return later this afternoon and drench that horse a second time for you if you like, then I can get onto the evening consults afterwards."

"Thank you that would be great. I'll give you the name and address of the hotel." Heero led the way back out of the surgery and to the house.  
Fifteen minutes later, Zechs was back in his car and heading for the village to unpack. Heero checked the soup again and then went to see how his boyfriend was feeling. A pair of sleepy violet eyes greeted him as he stepped into the bedroom. "Hey," he said softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," came the very raspy reply.

"Throat sore?"

Duo nodded.

"I've got your prescription for you and I also picked up some other medication that I thought might help." Heero set the bottle of antiviral medication down on the night stand along with the other things he'd bought. "There's some throat lozenges, paracetamol and cough medicine should you need it."

"Thanks," whispered Duo. His throat really did hurt so he tried not to talk above a whisper. "The locum?"

"He's arrived and I've shown him around the place and explained the set up and how you run things. He's a very nice vet, I think you will like him. He seems friendly enough and efficient. He's coming back before consults to drench Scythe again so you don't have to worry about her." Heero gave Duo the information he knew he wanted to hear whilst setting out the medication for him. "Her, take these," he said and handed Duo a glass of water, antiviral medication, panadol tablet and throat lozenge.

Duo dutifully swallowed the pills and then sucked on the throat lozenge, his sore throat feeling much better as the antiseptic and anesthetic properties in the lozenge began to work. He sneezed and Heero handed him a box of tissues. 

"Feeling up to that soup now?"

"Yes, please," whispered Duo.

"I'll be right back." Heero got up and returned to the kitchen to fetch the warmed soup.

They ate together, Heero enjoying the quiet time of relaxation before having to face the work that still lay ahead of him. As they ate so Heero explained more to Duo about the new locum, as well as reassuring Duo that his practice would still run as efficiently as it did with Duo at the helm. Heero could understand Duo's concerns, after all, he'd built the practice up from scratch and it was due to Duo's hard work and excellent veterinary skills that the practice was beginning to flourish. It wasn't financially secure enough though for it not to run whilst Duo was sick and so the employment of a locum was a necessity if the business was to survive. But it wasn't just a case of having another vet fill in; no, the person also needed to be considerate and kind, able to deal with the clients and keep them happy, for Duo couldn't afford to lose clients, they were after all his bread and butter.

Having discussed as much as Heero could provide by way of information on the locum, Heero left Duo to get some more rest and tidied up the house. He saw the locum's car return and went out to meet him. The rest of the afternoon went quickly; Heero helped Doctor Merquise to drench Scythe a second time, filling the blonde vet in on the mare's history. With the horse treated so Heero took the vet inside to meet Duo and then left the two to discuss whatever it was they had to discuss before heading to the surgery and opening up for evening consults.

***

The rest of the week fairly flew by for Heero. He was kept busy from the time he got up in the morning to the time he fell into bed totally exhausted. He had both horses to tend to and stables to clean before heading for work, not to mention the other household duties such as putting the laundry through, making breakfast and taking care of Duo. The 'flu had run its course, the fever breaking after a day and a half leaving Duo completely washed out. The antiviral medication helped as did the nutritious meals Heero cooked, keeping them soft given the tender state of Duo's throat. Once the fever broke and the runny nose started to ease so the cough had set in. The dry, hacking cough that seemed to tear Duo apart had Heero almost frantic at times. The cough medicine helped though and gradually that had eased as well. 

Doctor Po returned on the Friday and checked Duo over, pronouncing him much better and allowing him to get up if he wished for a while, but he wasn't allowed to do anything, something that seemed to annoy Duo and he was quick to voice his displeasure. After the doctor had gone and he'd gotten up to wander out to the lounge room he understood her reasons for making him promise not to do anything. His body was still weak from the 'flu and he knew it was going to take a few days for his strength to fully return. With Heero out at work, Duo pottered around and did a few little things as his strength allowed and then rested once he became too tired. He'd been given the all clear to return to work on the Monday but with strict instructions not to over do it.

During the course of the week several of Duo's clients had called by or telephoned to offer their best wishes for a speedy recovery and this touched Duo. He hadn't realized just how many friends he'd made through the practice. Doctor Merquise turned out to be an excellent choice of locum. The vet oozed charm and treated Duo's clients with the utmost respect, putting them at their ease as he treated their animals with calm, quiet attention. After morning consults Zechs would call at the house and give Duo the run down on what had happened that morning, the patients he'd seen and what treatment he'd prescribed. After their little 'consult', Zechs would head back to the hotel for lunch and return to perform any surgery booked in or if there wasn't anything booked he would return in time for evening consults. Once the evening consults were over he would help Heero in the reception area, replacing clients' files as Heero logged everything onto the computer. Once everything was finished for the evening he would disappear back to the hotel.

Heero would return to the house and cook dinner for himself and Duo, then check the horses before taking a shower and sitting with his boyfriend, reciting the day's happenings and bringing the vet up to date with the evening consults, Scythe and anything else of importance.

***

The Monday rolled around and Zechs had offered to stay and help Duo out with the morning consults, this being Duo's first day back at work since his illness and the braided vet wasn't quite completely recovered yet. Duo managed to get through the morning without incident but was relieved to turn the sign around to closed. He needed to rest and recover some of his energy for the evening. Seeing that Duo would be okay to return to work, Zechs shared dinner with them both that night before leaving and heading back to his own home for a couple of days break before starting his next locum job. Duo was sad to see the blonde go, but they promised to keep in touch and Zechs offered his services any time Duo needed them.

As they stood together in the driveway and waved the blonde vet off, Heero put his arm around Duo and pulled the vet close to his body. Once the car was out of sight he turned to Duo and placed a finger under Duo's chin, lifting the man's face slightly. Heero leant forwards and kissed Duo softly on the lips. "Feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Duo replied and snuggled a little closer to Heero. 

"Let's go back inside before this chilly air gets to you and you have a relapse," said Heero softly.

They turned and went back inside the warmth of the house, shutting the cool air of the approaching winter outside.

"Thanks for everything, Heero," said Duo quietly as they sat entwined in each others arms watching the television.

"No need for thanks, Duo. I was happy to take care of you whilst you were sick."

"You did much more than that, Heero. You made certain that I was looked after and that my business didn't go down the gurgler. Thanks for caring so much."

"You're welcome, Duo. You would have done the same for me. I love you, Duo, and I'd do anything for you." Heero shifted his position to allow him to see into his boyfriend's eyes.

Duo's eyes shone with love and trust. He'd never realized just how big a part of his life Heero had become. Leaning forwards he captured Heero's lips in a deep kiss, pouring all his emotions into that kiss. "I love you too, Heero."

~ * ~ 

tbc......


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25 

Over the course of the next few weeks Duo's strength and health returned. Scythe recovered from her bout of colic and began to forge ahead in leaps and bounds. With the good food, loving attention and general care she began to fill out and blossom into a very nice horse. Heero was pleased with her progress, partly because he hated to see an animal suffer and partly because as she fattened up so she was proving his insight to be correct; she was worth taking the trouble over and giving a second chance.

As her body filled out so her coat lost its rough appearance. The 'baths' that Heero had given her with the betadine solution had cleared up the skin condition and the good food along with the vegetable oil had seen her coat become soft, shiny and luxurious. Scythe had been with them for six weeks when Quatre dropped around with Trowa to see how they were getting on and bring some news.

 

"She's certainly put on some weight," remarked Trowa as the four of them hung over the paddock fence to gaze at Scythe who was busy grazing. "You wouldn't know she was the same horse."

"I have to compliment you on your care of her, Heero. The society wasn't too sure about leaving her in your care, nothing personal, but they would have preferred her to have gone to Trowa's animal shelter as they know him and the care he gives. The fact that Duo is one of our consultant vets as well as my recommendation managed to persuade them to give you a chance. I'm happy they did." Quatre gave Heero a beaming smile. "And I'm glad you didn't let me down. I knew you wouldn't."

"Arigato." Heero hid behind his bangs with embarrassment whilst Duo snickered from the side.

"That brings me to the next part of my visit." Quatre paused and picked up his briefcase, opening it and removing a large manilla envelope. "Would you prefer to go up to the house to do this?"

"What is it?" asked Heero. He'd assumed that the inspector was simply making a routine visit so the official looking envelope came as a bit of a shock to him. He glanced at Duo who shrugged his shoulders. He didn't have a clue either. 

"Maybe we should go up to the house," said Trowa.

The four made their way to Duo's kitchen and Duo put the kettle on to make them all a drink. Sitting with mugs of tea or coffee, depending on their preference, Quatre laid the envelope on the table.

"What is it?" asked Heero again as he studied the envelope, a small knot of fear forming in his gut. Hadn't he already filled out enough forms for the society?

Quatre opened up the envelope and removed a sheaf of papers from inside. He read over them quickly before handing them to Heero for the accountant to read. 

As Heero's eyes scanned the pages so they began to widen and a smile formed on his lips, a smile that soon changed into an all out grin. "That's wonderful!"

"What is?" demanded Duo as he tried to crane his neck and see what was written.

"Here." Heero passed the papers over for Duo to read.

"Holy fucking shit!" Duo exclaimed. "That's great!" Duo bounded out of his chair and wrapped his arms around Heero. "I'm so happy for you, Heero," he said and then kissed his boyfriend soundly on the lips.

"Ahem," coughed Quatre. "If you would care to release Heero for a moment there are a couple of minor things we need to discuss and then if all is okay it's just a matter of Heero signing the agreement and Scythe will be his permanently."

Duo sheepishly released Heero from the kiss and sat down, his face bright red. "Sorry," he muttered.

"No problem, Duo. You can celebrate with him all you like once the paper work is finished, but for the moment I need to steal him away from you," Quatre said with a broad grin on his face. The vet really was just too cute.

Quatre patiently went through the agreement papers with Heero, explaining all about it and what exactly he was signing. It basically stated that Heero was responsible for the health, safety and general well being of the horse as well as the cost involved in keeping her in that healthy state. Should Heero for any reason be unable to continue with the care of the horse he was to notify the society immediately and they would collect her. Whilst Heero would technically have complete ownership of Scythe and be free to do what he liked with her, he was not allowed to sell or lease her out as she belonged to the society and he was in fact merely a 'foster' home for her. The society also reserved the right to check on the mare periodically to make certain that she was being looked after properly.

"It all looks quite clear to me," stated Heero as he finished reading the agreement.

"It's usually straight forward enough," replied Quatre. "It's designed for both the animal's protection as well as yours."

"Where do I sign?" asked Heero.

"Right here." Quatre pointed out the two places for Heero to put his signature and produced a pen for him to do so. Once Heero had signed, Quatre added his signature to the paper and asked Trowa to also sign as a witness. With the paperwork finished, Quatre gave Heero a copy and placed the rest in his briefcase. "The society will send you out a letter of confirmation in a few days and when they wish to have an inspector call around to check on the mare they will contact you to arrange a suitable time. They do occasionally do a spot check or drive by but I think I can honestly say there won't be a problem in your case with continuing ownership." Quatre smiled at Heero as he spoke.

"Thank you, Quatre, for having the faith in me from the beginning," replied Heero.

"You know, I'm glad you talked Duo and Quatre into giving that mare a chance, Heero," Trowa spoke. "She's certainly living up to what you said she would be."

"It was simply a case of looking past the skeleton and picturing her in good health, that's all," replied Heero feeling rather embarrassed by all the attention he was receiving.

"Might be easy for you, Heero, you know horses. Me? All I really see is a head, tail, four legs and a body. I couldn't tell a knee from a fetlock," laughed Trowa.

"You must know something, you do run an animal shelter, Trowa," said Heero with a smile.

"Oh, I know enough to be able to look after them, but not as in depth as you. Ask me about a cat or a dog and I have no problems, but a horse... Where exactly is the fetlock anyway?"

Duo tossed his head back and laughed loudly, even Quatre had a grin on his face.

"It's the joint above the hoof, the bony one that connects the cannon bone to the pastern. I guess you could say it's like our wrist or ankle."

"Thanks." Trowa colored a little at his obvious ignorance for the equine race and made a mental note to look up the points of a horse on the Internet so he would be a little more knowledgeable in the future.

"That's not all the news I was bringing," began Quatre, deciding that now was probably a good time to rescue his lover.

"You mean you have something else to tell us?" asked Duo. "Who's for a refill?" Duo held the teapot aloft and then dutifully filled the cups of those that wanted more tea before boiling the kettle again for Trowa's coffee.

"Yes. The society had its court hearing with our Mr. Muldoon a couple of days ago," began Quatre.

Instantly both Heero's and Duo's eyes were riveted to the blonde. "And?" asked Duo.

"Mr. Muldoon didn't attend the hearing, a doctor’s certificate was produced to certify to his state of health, including his mental state. The courts did fine him, only it wasn't that much and he is banned from ever owning an animal again. Somehow though I don't think it’s going to register with him given his senility but his immediate family will be advised of the decision and it will be up to them to see that no other animals are taken into his possession and that the fine is paid."

"Well, at least that's a bit of good news for the animal population," remarked Duo. "Did anyone from his family ask where the horse had gone?"

"Not that we know of," replied Quatre.

"Shows how much they cared," muttered Heero under his breath.

"Unfortunately some people are like that, Heero," began Trowa. "Let's be thankful that she's out of that place and in a happy, caring environment where she won't be abused again."

"You got that right," agreed Duo. 

Quatre glanced at his watch. "We need to be going. I have to drop these forms back to the society and catch up on some paper work." Quatre began to stand and pick up his briefcase Trowa took their used cups to the sink. "It was nice seeing you again, Heero."

Heero shook the offered hand. "You too, Quatre. Tell the society they can drop around at any time and check on Scythe, oh, and thank them very much for allowing me to 'adopt' her."

"I will. Catch you later, Duo."

"Yeah, take it easy, Quat." Duo also shook the blonde inspector's hand before shaking Trowa's. "Keep up the good work with the shelter, Tro."

"I will. You take care, both of you," replied Trowa as he shook both men's hands and then followed his partner out to the car.

Watching the car head down the driveway, Duo leaned slightly against Heero. "Now that was great news, don't you think?"

"Hai, it was. Thanks for giving me the chance to save Scythe."

"No thanks needed, Heero." Duo gave his boyfriend a kiss. "I'd better start getting ready for evening consults."

"I'll go bring in the two nags and join you shortly," smiled Heero and turned in the direction of the paddocks, his step lighter than it usually was.

***

"Mrs. Curtis?" Duo called into the waiting room.

A rather portly woman stood up and picked up a box. Accompanied by someone who appeared to be her daughter, Mrs. Curtis carried the box through.

"First door on your left," said Duo as he held the file up to point with. As the woman disappeared so Duo looked at Heero and opened the file to get an indication of what the consult might be for. "What's in the box, Heero?"

"Chook, I think." [1]

"Chook?"

"Sounded like clucking to me." Heero shrugged his shoulders.

"Ahh. Best I go see then."

"Best you do," replied Heero doing his best to keep a straight face.

Shooting Heero a 'look' and sticking out his tongue, Duo went into the consulting room. "How can I help you today, Mrs. Curtis?"

"It's Ginger, Doctor Maxwell," replied the woman as she opened the box.

"Ginger?"

Mrs. Curtis reached into the box, there was a scuffling sound, a couple of indignant squawks and a large, brown hen was placed on the table.

"Ah, a chicken," said Duo.

The little girl whom Duo assumed was Mrs. Curtis' daughter looked at the vet as if he was a bit thick. Of course it was a chicken, any fool could see that.

Ignoring the 'look' that the little girl had given him, Duo turned his attention back to the chicken. "And what seems to be the problem with Ginger?"

"She's got a lump come up underneath, just by her legs," replied Mrs. Curtis.

"She still eating okay?" Duo gently ran his hands over the feathers and felt the chook's 'crop'. 

"Oh, yes. Eats like there's no tomorrow."

"She's my chook," said the little girl. "She lays eggs for my bre'fast."

"Do they taste good?" smiled Duo as he gently explored the underside of the chicken with his fingers, locating the lump.

"Yep. I has 'em scrammled or boiled."

"That's nice. Eggs are good for you," replied Duo and then frowned as he manipulated the lump. "I'll need to turn her over to get a proper look, Mrs. Curtis." Duo gently lifted the bird and securing its legs with one hand he flipped the chook onto her back. 

Mrs. Curtis assisted in holding the bird still. Keeping one hand on either side of the hen so that the vet could work with minimal interruption.

"Ahh, now I see," said Duo as he isolated the lump and inspected it. "It's what we call a feather cyst, Mrs. Curtis."

"A what?"

"A feather cyst. As you know birds lose and replace their feathers on a regular basis. As a new feather grows and reaches a certain stage it pushes out from under the skin through something like a pore. As it breaks through so it slowly unfurls and then as the bird preens itself the feather develops further and pushes out more until it takes the place of the one that was shed. Sometimes they don't break through the skin properly and begin to unfurl just under it causing what we call a feather cyst. Usually they are easily treated by simply lancing the skin a little and allowing the feather to come out. But, as you can see here," Duo paused and grasped the lump, pulling it upwards for the woman and her daughter to see. "This cyst is more than just one feather, there are several caught up in there and that's why we have such a large lump."

"Can't you lance it then like you just said?"

"I'm afraid it isn't quite that simple in this case, Mrs. Curtis. I can help Ginger, no problem there, but, she's going to need surgery to remove the cyst. The base is fairly loose which indicates that it can be easily snipped off as it's not attached to anything, a couple of stitches and she will be as good as new." Duo continued to manipulate the lump as he explained the procedure to Mrs. Curtis.

"Will she still lay eggs for my bre'fast?" questioned the little girl, her eyes a little wide at the mention of surgery.

"Yep, she will still lay eggs for your breakfast, sweetie. Big, fat brown ones." Duo gave the little girl a wink.

"What will happen if we don't do anything about the cyst?" asked Mrs. Curtis.

"It may get bigger as more feathers get caught up in there. Eventually those feathers inside are going to die and because they can't be shed, they will start to rot inside the cyst. Poison will accumulate and the cyst will become badly infected which will slowly invade the chicken's system. I don't think I need to say any more." Duo looked at the little girl who was stroking the hen's feathers.

"When can you do it?"

"I'll just check with my receptionist." Duo opened the consulting room door and stuck his head out. "Heero?"

"Hai?"

"Could you grab the surgery booking diary and bring it in, please?"

"Hai. Won't be a moment." Heero stood up and fetched the diary they used to book all their surgical cases into and went through to the consulting room where he smiled at the sight of the chicken on its back on the consulting table. "Here you are, Doctor Maxwell."

"Have we got anything booked for tomorrow afternoon?" Duo asked as he looked over Heero's shoulder.

Heero flipped the diary open to the next day's date and scanned the page. "Just a cat spay."

"Fine. We can book Ginger in and do the surgery tomorrow afternoon then if that's okay for you, Mrs. Curtis."

"Okay. Shall I leave Ginger here with you now then?"

"Might as well seeing as how it's evening anyway. You can give the surgery a call tomorrow around five and we will be able to tell you how the operation went and all being well Ginger should be able to go home tomorrow evening."

"I'll need to get some details from you before you go," said Heero.

"Okay," replied Mrs. Curtis.

"Good," said Duo. "Now, I'll take Ginger through to the kennels and get her settled whilst you give Mr. Yuy the details he needs." Duo turned back to the table and his patient. Ginger was still lying comfortably on her back, seemingly asleep, even though her eyes were open.

Mrs. Curtis was no longer holding the chicken in place, the bird was simply lying there.

Duo chuckled at the looks on everyone's faces. "It's a funny thing with chickens. If you put them on their backs and hold them completely still they go into a sort of trance and will remain there indefinitely."

"Did you hypon... hipponit... "

"Hypnotize her?" Duo offered and the little girl nodded her head as she gazed in awe at the still chicken. "No, not really. We're still not sure of why they go into this state, all we really know is that they do."

"Is she going to stay that way?" questioned the little girl.

"No, I can bring her out of it," smiled Duo. "Want to see how?"

"Yes, please."

Mrs. Curtis and Heero were also keen to see how Duo would bring the chicken round.

"All it takes is a loud noise to break the trance. Watch." Duo raised his arms and separated his hands, then he clapped them loudly together. Immediately Ginger blinked, gave a loud cluck and kicked her legs, wings flapping a little as she struggled to roll over and stand up. "There you go."

"That's really clever, Mr. Vet," whispered the girl.

Duo winked. "Want a jelly bean? I keep a jar of them out in the reception area for my most helpful assistants."

"Yes, please."

"If you and your mother follow Mr. Yuy here back out to the reception area I'm sure Mr. Yuy will be able to find the jar and give you one while he takes down the information that we need. I'm going to take Ginger through to the kennels and make her comfortable." Duo picked the chicken up off the table and tucked her under his arm.

"Thank you, Doctor Maxwell."

"My pleasure, Mrs. Curtis. Heero here will look after you and take the details we need. I'll hear from you tomorrow."

Heero opened the door and Duo disappeared towards the kennels, chook still under his arm. Mrs. Curtis picked up the empty box and with her daughter in tow, returned to the reception area where Heero produced the jar of jelly beans and offered them to the youngster. Whilst the little girl was happily munching on her jelly bean, Heero took down the necessary details and gave Mrs. Curtis a business card with the time to call the surgery written on the back of it. The pair departed and Heero was just about to get up and let Duo know that he only had one more consult to do when the braided vet came back up the hall way.

"That was a pretty nifty trick," said Heero. "I didn't know chooks could be put into trances like that."

"It's really weird, Heero. The veterinary world really doesn't have an explanation for it either. For some reason chooks will go into a trance when put on their backs and kept still." Duo shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not about to start questioning it though as it makes examining them a hell of a lot easier."

Heero laughed. "I bet it does."

***

Heero watched as Duo carefully slid the tube like mask over the chicken's head and held the bird still for a moment. The chook's eyes blinked as it inhaled the strange air and it struggled for a moment before its eyes began to close and its body slumped as the anesthetic did its job. With the chicken out for the count, Duo checked the levels of the gasses being filtered into the anesthetic mask and made a couple of minor adjustments. "Good. She's unconscious, we can start now."

Picking up the bottle of betadine solution, Heero doused the operation site in the antiseptic, making sure the skin and surrounding feathers were well covered. Duo slipped his latex gloves on and felt around the base of the cyst.

"It's not attached to anything which is good so there should only be a few minor blood vessels in there which means not much bleeding. Surgery on birds can be tricky as they tend to go into shock very easily," said Duo as he continued to probe. "Pass me a clamp please, Heero."

Heero remained fascinated, passing Duo the instruments he required as the vet asked for them. He watched as the base of the cyst was secured with clamps and then Duo began to incise the skin, carefully cutting away at the base of the cyst and removing all of the festering lump. He held the kidney dish for Duo to drop the removed lump of flesh, feathers and developing poison into, then placed it on the bench for analysis later. 

"Nearly finished," said Duo as he reached for a needle and suture thread. 

Heero wiped the small amount of escaped blood away with a swab and dropped the swab into the bin.

Duo's face scrunched up in concentration as he began to suture the wound closed. It only took four tiny sutures and then Duo released the clamp. He swabbed over the wound site and checked that all was well and no blood was seeping. Satisfied with his work a light dusting of antibiotic powder was applied and Duo declared the operation a success.

Heero looked at the clock, the entire operation had only taken twenty minutes. "Nice going," said Heero as he moved in to pick up the used instruments and take them to the sink to wash before they would go into the autoclave to be sterilized.

"Need to be quick with birds," responded Duo as he carefully began to remove the mask from the chicken's head. "Now it's just a case of waiting for Ginger to wake up which shouldn't take too long."

As if on cue the chicken began to blink her eyes and then suddenly started to madly flap her wings, the momentum pushing her along the operating table still flat on her back. Heero's eyes widened in astonishment.

"Look, Heero, she's flying upside down!" snickered Duo as he gently put out a hand to stop the chicken from 'flying' off the operating table.

"What the?"

"Bet you've never seen a bird fly upside down before," chuckled Duo.

"But, how? Why?" Heero was really stumped by the chicken's actions.

"It's a natural reaction to coming out of the anesthetic, Heero. Most birds flap their wings when returning from never land as they're disorientated from the anesthetic. She just happened to be on her back at the time. Could make for some interesting flying patterns though."

Shaking his head, Heero wondered if there was ever an end to the vet's humor. "I guess you learn something new every day," he replied in amusement.

"Ah, that's the beauty of the veterinary world, Heero. There's always something new and exciting waiting around the corner."

"Same with the horses, Duo. Doesn't matter how much you know or think you know, there is always so much more to learn."

"Too true, Heero. Now that Ginger is showing signs of returning to normal and not wanting to fly to the moon upside down, I'll take her back through to the kennels then come back and clean up." Duo gently picked the chicken up off the table and carried her through to the kennels where he put her on a soft blanket. Satisfied that Ginger was okay, he closed the door and returned to help Heero.

***

Several weeks passed, the practice had grown and Duo had a steady stream of patients to see each day. Heero was busy working the mornings at Fairbrothers where he was fast becoming an important part of the team. He'd been offered a full time position but had declined, happy to remain on a part time basis. He really didn't want to work full time at the accountancy office, he enjoyed spending his afternoons helping Duo with his surgical patients and it also gave him time to work Zero. His freelancing paid him enough to keep both Scythe and Zero in feed and carrots and combined with his wages, after all his bills were paid he was still able to save a fair chunk each month.

Zero's work program was progressing along nicely, the horse eager to be ridden again and whilst Heero was yet to jump him they had progressed to the 'trotting pole' stage. Duo had told Heero that if the ligaments were to show any stress at all it would be now as the trotting poles and cavaletties required extra energy and elasticity of the joints, ligaments and tendons. So far Zero had shown no signs of lameness and his legs remained free of any heat or swelling.

*

It had been five months since they'd rescued Scythe and the mare was now sleek and fat, her condition excellent. She'd proven to be just as much of a hog when it came to carrots as Zero was. Something Heero bemoaned. He swore that Zero had been conspiring with the mare and complained to Duo that the pair must have been rabbits in a past life. Duo had only laughed. He did find it amusing though to watch Heero with both horses in the evening; Scythe and Zero vying for Heero's attention and the carrots.

It had become a ritual that after the evening consults were finished the pair would wander down to the stable block and refill the horses’ haynets, checking on them before locking up and going to have their own dinner before spending the evenings snuggling on the couch and usually enjoying a little making out. They still had yet to 'go all the way', Duo still not comfortable enough with himself to share something so intimate and Heero refusing to push the issue. They were both content for the moment to simply explore each others bodies, learning what felt good and what didn't, which spots were particularly sensitive and those to avoid. They learnt new tricks in pleasuring each other, developed new oral and manual skills and tried them out eagerly.

Heero still slept in his own bed, having only spent that one night with Duo when the vet had been sick; but they both knew it wouldn't be too much longer before they shared a bed. It was just a case of waiting until the time was right and they trusted their instincts to let them know when that time would be. 

Heero had just returned from his morning at Fairbrothers to be greeted by an eager Duo waving the mail at him. He quickly exited the car and made his way to the back door of the house. "What's up, Duo?" he asked as he kissed his boyfriend deeply.

"There's an important looking envelope come in the mail for you, Heero." Duo passed over the item in question.

Heero took it and scanned over the outside. He gave a swallow. "Lets go inside, Duo. I'll open it in there." Heero had a feeling he was going to need to be sitting down when he read the contents. His stomach was churning as if a hoard of butterflies had taken up residence there and his palms were sweaty. 

Duo placed a mug of tea in front of Heero and then sat opposite his boyfriend, his eyes shining in anticipation.

Carefully, Heero opened the envelope and took out the formal looking letter. He folded out the paper, smoothing the creases and glanced at the address on the top. "It's from the accountancy board," he announced and then began to read.

~ * ~ 

tbc....

[1] Chook: Again Aussie slang for a chicken.

The scene with Ginger the chook was taken from an episode of "Harry's Practice" a vet show here in Australia and used without permission.

For anyone who's interested Points of the horse can be seen here in an easy to follow guide: http://www.irishhorsesociety.com/website%20photos/points2.gif


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26 

Duo sat across from Heero, studying the accountant's face as Heero read and trying to gauge by Heero's facial expressions what the letter contained. Heero's face however, remained neutral. Duo felt as if he were sitting on hot coals. He knew he had no right to ask what was in the letter, that was Heero's business, but he couldn't help but be curious. Heero had confided in him all the problems he'd had with Mr. Donaldson his former boss and the action he'd taken as a result of the argument with said former boss. Looked like this letter was something to do with the outcome of his registered complaint.

Since Heero had lodged the complaint and spoken with Mr. Browning, the senior partner of the accountancy company Heero had worked for, there hadn't been a whole lot of feedback. Mr. Browning had contacted Heero once to say that the internal investigation was still proceeding and if they required Heero's presence they would notify him. Since that 'phone call Heero had heard nothing. Gazing at the envelope again, Duo could only hope that the accountancy board was moving a little faster to settle the dispute than the company was.

Heero carefully read the letter and processed the information; going back over it a second time to be certain he hadn't missed anything. With his brain digesting the words he had read he looked up at Duo and smiled, the vet's eyes stared back at him, concern evident in those amethyst depths.

"Everything okay, Heero?"

"I hope so," replied Heero cryptically.

"Huh? What does that mean?"

Heero passed the letter over. "Read it and see what you think," he said and sat back to wait for Duo to read the letter.

Duo took the offered paper and began to read.

_Dear Mr. Yuy,_

_Re: Complaint against Browning, Smith and Donaldson Accounting._

_The Accountancy Board wishes to advise you that we are looking into the case you have brought to our attention in relation to the professional conduct of a Mr. Donaldson and the subsequent resignation of yourself from the company due to the actions of one Mr. Donaldson._

_The Board is currently looking through all the submitted evidence from yourself and the evidence supplied by Mr. Donaldson in his defense. The Board will be holding a hearing for this case on Thursday April 24th; 10.00 am at the Board's offices. Your presence will be required at this hearing along with any other evidence you may have not yet submitted._

_Please contact Sylvia Noventa, the person investigating this complaint on your behalf to advise of your attendance and discuss any further actions that may need to be taken._

_Thanking You._

_Sylvia Noventa._

_Investigations Dept._

There was a 'phone number as well as the address of the board at the top of the letter along with the usual reference numbers. "At least things are moving in that department, Heero," said Duo as he handed the letter back.

"Looks like it," stated Heero as he took the letter back and skimmed over it again. "I can't think of anything else I need, I've already given them a copy of the tape and a sworn statement of what transpired."

"They may want you to provide the names of other staff members, you know, those that witnessed the argument or may be to confirm that he's like that with all the staff," offered Duo.

"Could be. I was hoping not to have to involve any of the others though, they have to still work with the prick and I know he'd give them hell if they stood up against him," sighed Heero and his brow furrowed. "I suppose I should give this Sylvia Noventa a call and get the full run down on what she wants or needs."

"Good idea." Duo stood up and took his mug to the sink. "I'll leave you to make your call, I'm going to wrestle with Gertrude again and see if I can't persuade her to wash the jeans without covering them with fluff this time."

Heero snorted as he remembered the last round with the washing machine affectionately referred to as Gertrude. Their jeans had all come out sporting a lovely layer of lint. Duo had forgotten to check on the small bag inside the machine that was responsible for collecting all the lint and other nameless bits and pieces that ultimately found their way into the wash. The bag had been full and as Gertrude proceeded through the cycle, trying to jam more lint and fluff into the stressed bag so the bag had burst, the contents being swept back into the water and swirled amongst the clothes with disastrous results. Heero hadn't know that lint could be so adhesive, Duo complained that they didn't need a lint remover to get the fuzzy stuff off their jeans but rather a lawn mower as the fluff was thick enough to be a lawn.

Picking up the letter, Heero went through to the lounge to make his call. 

***

"Much better, Gertrude," said Duo to the washing machine as he dumped the cleaned clothing into the laundry basket and closed the lid, giving the machine an affectionate pat in the process. He picked up the basket and went outside to the clothesline and began to peg out the washing. Heero joined him a few minutes later. "How did it go?" asked Duo as he pegged the last pair of socks on the line.

"Pretty good. This Sylvia person seems to know exactly what she's doing. I told her I didn't have anything further to submit but you were right, she did ask if any of the other employees would be willing to provide any evidence to the Board if they required it. I gave her a few names but asked her to try and avoid involving them if she possibly could. She seems to think we won't need them, that we have enough evidence to get Donaldson well and truly in the shit, but she's going to keep the others as a last resort just in case."

"That's good news then, Heero." Duo leaned forwards and pressed a kiss to Heero's lips. 

Automatically Heero's arms wound around Duo's waist and drew the vet closer to him. "Mmmm... That's nice," murmured Heero.

"I agree," replied Duo and stole another.

They stood together amongst the flapping jeans, socks, shirts and boxers, just enjoying holding and being held. Heero's head rested in the crook of Duo's shoulder and he could see Scythe and Zero in the paddock. A thought came into his mind and as he considered it so a smile broke over his lips. "Duo?"

"Mmm?" Duo was enjoying the closeness and wasn't in any hurry to break the contact.

"Would you say that Scythe is pretty much back to normal now?"

Frowning slightly, Duo pulled away to look at his boyfriend. "Uh oh, what are you up to, Heero?"

"Nothing." Heero tried to look innocent and failed.

"Something's going on in that head of yours," Duo stated as he looked suspiciously at his boyfriend. "Out with it."

"I just wanted your opinion on Scythe's condition. Would you say she's back to normal now? I know that condition-wise she's certainly improved."

Duo stared across the expanse towards the paddock and the grazing horses. "Yes, Heero, I'd say she's about as normal as she's going to get. Now, care to tell me why you want to know?"

"I was thinking that if she's pretty much right now then I wouldn't mind putting a saddle on her and trying her out. You know, see what her education's like, what she knows and doesn't know, if she's a comfortable ride or not; although with her conformation she should be."

Shaking his head, a look of amusement on his face, Duo sighed. "Knew it was coming sooner or later. I think she'd be all right to give a little work to. Her body condition is fine and her feet are good now that Bob's been giving them regular attention so there shouldn't be any problem with riding her." Duo paused for a moment and then continued. "Personally I think a little work will be good for her."

"That's what I thought," replied Heero. "It will give her some muscle tone and improve her overall appearance."

"You're the expert here, Heero."

"Maybe on the ridden side of things but I didn't want to start riding her if there was a chance that she wasn't ready for it, physically I mean."

"Shouldn't hurt her. Physically she's sound now. Just make sure that the work is slow and easy to begin with, build it up slowly, after all, she hasn't been ridden in ages I'd say and I'd hate to be picking up your pieces off the grass when she turfs you off."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Heero gave Duo a 'look'.

Duo grinned. "I'm only messing with you, Heero. She seems to have too nice a nature to want to chuck you off."

"I hope you're right," muttered Heero. "I'll go get changed. Would you mind catching her and taking her into the stable block for me please? I'll sort out a saddle and bridle for her once I'm changed."

"No problem, Heero. Just remember your hard hat, won't you?"

"Hai, I will."

The two men went in separate directions and met up several minutes later in the stable block.

Duo caught Scythe easily and led her inside the stable block, tying her up to the ring in the wall by her stable and fetching a brush. While he waited for Heero he gave the rich, black coat a thorough brushing, working his way with long strokes from the neck, down the shoulders, over Scythe's back and belly to her hindquarters. Once the one side was done, he switched his attentions to the other side, continuing until the mare's coat shone like patent leather. Wiping the sweat from his face onto the sleeve of his shirt, Duo gave the mare an appraising look. "Don't you look pretty," he said as he reached into his pocket and produced a carrot.

Scythe daintily took the carrot from Duo's hand and crunched happily on it. She was content; finally her fears of having her food source cut off had diminished. The two humans that came regularly each day bearing food of varying types as well as caresses, pats and soothing words had won her trust. She felt happy. The gray stallion had also become a good companion and she would often stand under the shade of the trees next to the fence and doze lightly while the gray did the same on the other side of the fence. He was certainly a charming animal and good looking as well.

Scythe's ears pricked up when she heard the approaching footsteps of the other human and she gave a low whinny of greeting.

Heero walked into the stable block dressed in his jodhpurs, boots, short sleeved polo shirt and helmet in his hand. He walked directly to the mare and patted her. "Hey, Scythe. Feel up to a little riding today?"

Scythe nudged the human with her nose.

"She looks lovely, Duo. Thanks for bringing her in and brushing her for me."

"No problem, Heero. I was happy to help. I can't wait to see how she goes."

"You're just here to watch the fireworks," teased Heero.

"Like I said before, someone's got to be here to scrape up the bits." Duo's smile was wide.

Heero shook his head and turned his attention back to Scythe, pulling gently at her ears as he spoke to her. "You wouldn't be mean and throw me off, would you, Scythe." It was a statement, not a question.

A nudge and search of his person for carrots was the reply he got.

"Any particular set of gear you want to use, Heero?"

"I'm not sure." Heero ran his critical eye over the mare. "I think I would be better off using my all purpose saddle [1] as she's not too wide in the back. I'll try the snaffle bridle too, as I don't want to do any damage to her mouth. Once I've ridden her I should be able to feel what type of bit will suit her best."

"Okay. Want a hand?"

"If you don't mind." Heero set his helmet down and walked off in the direction of the feed shed where he stored most of his gear, Duo beside him. He lifted down his all purpose saddle and handed it to Duo along with a thick saddle blanket. Next he went through his bridles, finally selecting one with an eggbutt snaffle bit [2] on it and drop noseband. [3] He grabbed a pair of work boots as well, wanting to give Scythe's legs as much support as he could considering the length of time it had been since she'd been ridden. They carried the gear back out to where Scythe waited patiently.

Seeing the humans returning and carrying familiar objects, Scythe eyed them curiously. She sniffed the saddle blanket, noting the scent of the stallion lingering in the fibers. She could also smell the stallion's scent on the saddle.

"Good girl," said Duo as he set the saddle and blanket on the stable door. "I'll leave it up to you to do the rest, Heero," he said quietly.

"Okay," replied Heero and hung the bridle on a conveniently placed hook. He turned and picked up the saddle blanket, bringing it slowly to Scythe's back so as not to startle the animal. Gently he placed it over her withers and left it for a moment whilst he reached for the saddle. The saddle was lain carefully over the saddle blanket and then Heero gently slid the entire ensemble backwards to rest to the rear of Scythe's withers and on her back. Seeing Duo's careful scrutiny of what he was doing, Heero began to explain his actions as he went. "Sliding the saddle back into position makes sure that all the hair is lying flat underneath and won't cause any discomfort to the horse," he said as he checked the saddle was sitting comfortably. Scythe seemed quite happy still so Heero progressed to the next stage; bringing the girth around and under her belly.

The girth buckles were threaded into the straps on the saddle and then Heero tightened it slightly. He gently ran his fingers down in-between the girth and the mare's skin. "This smooths out the skin underneath so that when I tighten the girth fully the skin won't be wrinkled and trapped underneath to rub and cause girth galls," he explained.

"I always thought you picked up the front legs and stretched them forwards to stretch out the skin underneath the girth, Heero," replied Duo.

"A lot of people do it that way, Duo, but I prefer not to as once you lower the front leg all that skin that you've stretched out from under the girth area bunches back up just in front of the girth and there is a risk of it rubbing. I think to smooth out the skin with your fingers like I just did is a much better option."

"Just goes to show there's more than one school of thought on these things."

"There's always more than one option when it comes to horses, Duo. As you know, what may work with one animal may not necessarily work with another. That's the beauty of horses. There are several different ways to approach a problem and it's just a case of finding the one that best suits the animal you're dealing with."

"Quite the philosopher, aren't you, Heero?" Duo teased.

Heero ignored the vet and reached for the bridle. He slipped the reins over the mare's head then with his right hand under Scythe's neck and holding the crown piece, his left hand went to the bit and as his right hand raised so he brought the bit up to the mare's lips. Scythe opened her mouth and Heero slipped the bit inside, pulling the crown piece up and pushing her ears through. Carefully Heero pulled out the mare's forelock and any of her mane that was trapped underneath the leather, making it more comfortable for her. He checked the position of the bit in her mouth, noting it was a little loose and so shortened the cheek straps a couple of holes.

Scythe chewed on the bit for a moment. It had been a while since she'd worn a saddle or bridle and it felt a little uncomfortable at first. Soon she settled with the gear though and accepted it without any fuss.

Heero removed the halter from underneath the bridle and did up the noseband, checking that he could still get two fingers underneath so the noseband would be correctly fitted. Picking up his helmet he checked and tightened the girth again then prepared to lead the horse out to the paddock. "You coming?" he asked Duo.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Heero."

"Hn," Heero grunted and led the mare outside. Once they were in the paddock, Heero shut the gate firmly then let down his stirrups. "Would you mind holding her for me while I get on?" asked Heero. "I'd say she'd probably stand still but I don't want to take any unnecessary risks."

"No problem." Duo stepped forwards and took hold of the reins just under the bit. He fixed Scythe with his violet eyes, the mare's liquid brown ones staring back at him. "You be a good girl, Scythe and look after Heero, you hear? No fancy stuff, just behave and do as he asks."

Scythe nudged the vet as if to say "Would I be anything other than good?"

Pushing his helmet down on to his head, Heero placed his foot in the stirrup and sprang up onto the mare's back, lowering his weight softly into the saddle. He felt Scythe's back muscles tense at his weight but he ran a soothing hand along her neck and the mare relaxed. "Okay, Duo. You can let her go now. Thanks."

"No worries. You be careful, Heero," Duo added as he watched the accountant pick up his reins. Duo stepped back out of the way and leaned against the fence to watch, his heart in his mouth.

Heero picked up the slack in the reins until he could just feel Scythe's mouth on the other end. Gently he squeezed his legs against her sides and relaxed, waiting to see if the horse would respond. Scythe remained standing so Heero gave another squeeze, a little harder this time and Scythe felt the aid. Gently she moved off into a walk. 

Heero kept his hands light and steady on the reins, gauging how sensitive the mare was in the mouth. Some horses had mouths of iron, caused by riders that were too hard and heavy with their hands; other horses had mouths of velvet and responded to the lightest touch. Scythe's mouth appeared to be quite responsive much to Heero's relief. Heero tended to ride with a very light contact, preferring not to pull or yank on the horse's mouth. Zero had a very soft mouth and could be guided by the slightest touch.

Heero kept Scythe moving around at the walk, testing her response to his leg and seat aids, asking her to turn, halt, start, half halt, lengthen the stride and collect up. Scythe was a little stiff but tried to do everything Heero asked and please the human. She was a little rusty and sometimes it took a couple of the human's 'requests' and repeat of the aids before she understood what it was the human wanted.

Satisfied with the responses he was getting at the walk, Heero decided to be adventurous and try the trot. He shortened his reins and pushed with his seat and legs, asking Scythe to increase her speed. Almost at once, Scythe broke into a smooth trot, circling the paddock and looking quite happy with herself. Heero let her find her rhythm and then began to ask for a little more. Gradually he shortened his reins a bit more and put more pressure through his seat, effectively shortening Scythe's stride a touch but adding more lift and elevation to the trot. He held the mare at that pace for half the paddock and then asked her to lengthen her stride. Giving a little with the rein, continuing to rise to the trot but push the mare with his seat and leg, Scythe understood and began to stride out.

Her trot lengthened, covering more ground but without increasing the speed of the trot. Heero was delighted. Watching from the fence, Duo was wearing a grin so wide it was almost covering his entire face. He watched as Scythe effortlessly changed and adjusted her stride seemingly by magic, but Duo knew Heero was responsible for the mare's reactions. Even if Heero showed no signs of giving much in the way of aids, Duo knew the man was working hard. He always remembered his father telling him that a good rider was one who could make the horse do anything he wished but a great rider was one who could make the horse do as he asked without seeming to move a muscle himself.

Heero was a great rider. Even to Duo's inexperienced eye he could see the sympathy of Heero's body to the horse's needs, the soft way in which he sat the animal and the way the horse performed.

Deciding to throw all caution to the winds, Heero asked Scythe to canter for him. The mare responded, lurching into the canter a bit unbalanced but after a few strides she found her cadence and settled into the gait. Heero didn't bother to collect her up, opting to let her find her own speed and settle. There would be plenty of time for schooling Scythe later. For now he'd learnt enough about Scythe to know that at some stage she'd been properly educated, up to Elementary dressage level he guessed. All she really needed was a 'refresher' course as Heero called it. Idly he wondered if she could jump. He wasn't about to try her out though, it would be better to wait until she'd regained some muscle tone first. Sitting down into the saddle, Heero brought Scythe back from the canter to the trot and then the walk, patting her neck and praising her as he let the reins slip through his fingers and allowing Scythe to stretch her neck out.

"Well?" asked Duo eagerly, almost bouncing on the spot with anticipation. "What's she like?"

Heero brought Scythe to a halt beside Duo and carefully dismounted. "Why don't you try her and find out for yourself?"

"Huh? You want me to get up there and ride her?" Duo's eyes were wide.

"Sure. There's no reason why you can't," replied Heero with a grin.

"Ummm... I haven't been on a horse in years, Heero; and even then it was just a pony and I don't know how to ride properly."

"I did say I would teach you."

"But..."

"And there's no better time to start than now."

"But..."

"You haven't got anything booked in for surgery today."

"But..."

"We have at least a good hour before we have to start on anything else."

"But..."

"She's lovely to ride, Duo. Gentle as a lamb, soft mouth and very responsive. She's got such a sweet nature she wouldn't harm you."

Knowing he was defeated, Duo sighed. He really was itching to ride the mare; he just didn't want to make a fool out of himself in front of Heero. "Okay," he muttered, giving in. "I do warn you though, I don't know how to ride properly and I've forgotten everything I ever learnt."

"Good. I like to start with raw material," snickered Heero.

"Raw material?" questioned Duo as he raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Better to start from scratch, that way you haven't developed any bad habits, or at least not enough of them for them to not be easily fixed." Heero gave the vet a smile. "Here, put this on." Heero handed his helmet to Duo who reluctantly took it and slipped it on his head. "Can you remember how to mount?"

"Depends on what I'm mounting," quipped Duo.

Heero rolled his eyes. "You're going to mount the mare, Duo."

"I hate to tell you this, Heero, but I'm not into bestiality," sniggered Duo. "I'll leave mounting the mare to Zero, thanks."

"DUO! Will you be serious, please!"

"Sorry," grinned Duo.

"Let's start again. Here, put your left foot into the stirrup iron, take a hold of the mane with your left hand and the front of the saddle with your right. Good. Now, spring up from your right foot and use your hands to pull you up at the same time, then swing your right leg over and land gently in the saddle. I said gently!"

Duo did as Heero instructed, bounced off his right foot and hauled himself up; he landed a little heavily in the saddle though. "Sorry, Scythe," Duo apologized to the mare. At least he was in the saddle, even if his ascent hadn't been as graceful as Heero's; okay, it had been more like an undignified scramble. "Whoa, the ground is a long way off, Heero. Do you supply parachutes with these things?"

Heero was busy adjusting the stirrups for Duo and chose to ignore the vet's comments.

"Gee, I think it's snowing up here. Hang on, I need oxygen, the thin air is getting to me."

"Duo?"

"Yes?"

"Will you shut up and be serious."

"Sorry."

"Thank you. Now, put your feet like this... Hold the reins in this way... No, not like that, like this. Good. Sit up straight, knees in. Better. Look up between Scythe's ears where you want to go."

"Wow. This is great, Heero. I'm actually riding."

"Duo?"

"Yes?"

"You haven't moved yet. You're still standing at the halt."

"Oh."

Heero spent a half hour with Duo in the paddock, patiently teaching and explaining to him how to sit and use his seat and legs to make Scythe walk, halt and turn. He walked alongside the mare, telling Duo what to do and the vet tried hard to follow Heero's instructions.

Scythe could sense that this human on her back was very nervous and wasn't as secure as the other one had been and so she was very careful, trying hard not to make any jerky movements and upset the human who had been so kind to her. 

Finally, and much to Duo's relief, Heero called an end to the lesson. "I think you've both had enough for today," Heero said. "Actually, you've done very well for your first lesson, Duo. I'm proud of you. To be honest, Scythe needs slow work to build her muscle tone up and you need to take it slow and steady as well so the lessons should be perfect for Scythe's fitness program."

Duo couldn't help but feel warmed by the praise from Heero and gave his boyfriend a hug once he'd slithered to the ground. "Here, Scythe," said Duo as he dug a carrot out of his pocket and fed it to the mare. "You were a good girl."

Scythe took the carrot, crunched it up and politely begged for more. She wasn't disappointed. Heero fed her a stack of the orange treats as well. Once they'd unsaddled and brushed Scythe down, Heero took the gear back to the shed whilst Duo put Scythe back out into the paddock for a while. It was a little early to bring them in and feed them as yet.

Heero walked up behind Duo and put his arms around the vet's waist, nuzzling the soft hairs at the nape of Duo's neck. "Enjoy that?"

"Yes, I did, Heero. Thanks for being so patient with me, even if I do like to tease and mess around." Duo turned around in his boyfriend's arms to face the accountant.

"I enjoyed it too, Duo. You have potential there. You sure I can't persuade you to take up competitive riding?"

"Heero, I think I'm just happy to be able to stop, start and steer for now. We can worry about second gear another time. Besides, my ass is killing me!"

Heero laughed and let his hands slide down to cup Duo's rear end. "Aww... you got a sore bottom," Heero teased.

Duo winced. "Yeah. I dunno how you do it, Heero. I'm dreading trying the trot, somehow I have a feeling my balls may object."

"Don't worry, I promise to massage any and all aching muscles or appendages you may suffer with after a lesson," whispered Heero seductively.

Duo shivered and stole a kiss. "I think my ass is going to need a little attention later, Heero," he moaned.

"Then I'll be certain to make sure I'm available to massage it for you."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"I think I may have to close evening consults early tonight," whispered Duo as he licked along the shell of Heero's ear.

"I won't complain," came the husky reply.

"Okay then, it's a date," murmured Duo. "Now though, I need to go take a shower and get the dinner on to cook. Consults will be starting in half an hour."

"I'll go pop the feeds into the stables ready for the terrible twosome and meet you in the house," replied Heero and gently kissed the vet senseless.

"Mmmm... See you soon." Duo broke away before the heat in his blood could fully consume him and headed for the house.

Heero watched him go, a smile playing on his lips as he observed the swing of the braid across that gorgeous ass. With a sigh he adjusted his half hard cock and headed back to the stables. He'd have time later tonight to pay homage to Duo's body.

~ * ~ 

tbc.......

 

[1] All Purpose saddle: There are several different types of saddle out on the market, each designed for a specific purpose, be it jumping, dressage, western, racing etc. The 'All Purpose' saddle combines the jumping and dressage saddle types into one saddle to offer the rider a saddle that can be used for any discipline; as the name states - All Purpose.

[2] Eggbutt snaffle: This is the kindest of all the snaffle bits utilizing a gentle nutcracker action against the horse's tongue and roof of the mouth. The edges of the bit where the mouth piece joins the rings is a fitted piece so that it cannot pinch the horse's lips.

[3] Drop noseband: This noseband fits just at the end of the nasal bone and sits in front of the bit and buckles underneath in the chin groove. Its purpose is to keep the horse's mouth closed and prevent it from 'pulling'; i.e.: taking hold of the bit and ignoring the rider's signals.

More information on saddles, bridles and bits can be found here: Points of the saddle; http://www.horsedata.co.uk/points_of_the_saddle.htm

Points of the Bridle: http://www.horsedata.co.uk/points_of_a_bridle.htm

Different Bits; http://shop.valleycountry.com.au/catalogue/category2/category159

Saddle Types: http://shop.valleycountry.com.au/catalogue/category2/category109


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

By the time the evening consults were over, Duo was beginning to feel the effects of his riding lesson even more. Not only was his ass sore but his thighs were aching as well. He shuffled into the reception area just as Heero was returning from closing and locking the door.

"You okay, Duo?" Heero asked. "You're walking a little stiffly."

"I'll live," replied Duo. "Tell me something, Heero. Why do horses have to have such broad backs? I feel as if I've been sitting on an armchair with a leg over each side. Talk about doing the splits."

Heero couldn't help but chuckle. "It does get better, you know. The more riding you do, the more accustomed to it your muscles become and gradually they build up and develop and soon you don't feel any discomfort at all."

"I think I've discovered muscles I never knew I had," moaned Duo as he sat down. "Ow! Shit, that's sore," he yelped and stood up hastily.

"Come on, I'll take you back up to the house and after dinner I'll massage those muscles."

"I think I'm beginning to feel better already," snickered Duo, allowing himself to be led back out of the surgery and towards the house.

***

Heero finished drying the dishes and wandered into the lounge room where Duo lay sprawled on his stomach on the couch watching a soap opera on television. "Ready for that massage now?"

Rolling slightly onto his side, Duo contemplated his boyfriend's words and nodded. "If you don't mind."

"I wouldn't have offered if I minded," said Heero as he approached the reclining vet and kissed him. "I'll just go and grab some ointment then. Won't be a sec." Heero disappeared in the direction of his bedroom and returned a few moments later clutching a tube of ointment. 

"What's that stuff?" asked Duo suspiciously.

"It's called 'Deep Heat'. [1] It's an ointment that soothes stressed muscles. I usually use it after a show to ease any aches I may get from being in the saddle for so long," replied Heero.

"Ahh. Does it work?" Duo had complete faith in his own treatments for the animals, but when it came to human treatments he was always skeptical and preferred to avoid using anything at all unless completely necessary.

"I wouldn't still be using it if it didn't. Now, hop up and take off your pants for me."

"Ohhh, working a little fast aren't we?" Duo teased.

Heero turned a bright shade of red. "That's not quite what I meant, Duo."

Duo grinned as he complied and removed his pants. "How would you like me?" he teased.

"Bent over the couch with your legs spread wide," Heero quipped and tried hard to hold his laughter as Duo turned crimson.

"Uhh..."

"I'm teasing, Duo. Just lie down on the couch; on your stomach will be fine."

Duo gave a sigh of relief. For a moment there Heero had caught him off guard and Duo hadn't been sure if Heero was serious or not. 

"You'll need to remove your underwear too," Heero added. "I can't massage the ointment in through your boxers."

"Yeah... Errr... Right." Duo removed his boxers, trying to keep the flush from his face. Despite the fact that Heero had seen him naked before he still couldn't help but be a little shy around the other man. Actually, he wasn't completely naked, he still had his shirt on but Duo figured that was a moot point really. Boxers removed he gingerly lowered himself back to the couch and got comfortable.

Swallowing hard and trying to keep his hormones from jumping for joy at the sight of Duo's naked lower half lying before him like some forbidden fruit, Heero moved towards the couch. "Where exactly is it sore?"

"My inner thighs and lower butt."

"You mean here?" Heero gently ran his fingers over the base of Duo's cheeks, just above the crease where thigh met rear end.

"Mmm... Yeah," Duo moaned softly.

"At least we know you were using your seat bones," chuckled Heero.

"I didn't know I had any until today," retorted Duo. "Now I'm beginning to wish I'd never found them. You sure you can't get a padded saddle?"

Heero opened the tube and spread some of the cream on his fingers. Placing the tube to the side he gently pushed Duo's legs apart. "I need you to spread your legs a little so I can massage your inner thighs," he explained as he felt Duo's body tense.

"Ummm.. Okay." Duo was glad his face was in the cushion so that Heero couldn't see his blush as he spread his legs a bit more. He felt Heero's strong hands connect with the sensitive skin of his inner thigh and begin to massage, working the ointment into his sore muscles. "Ahhh... that feels good," he moaned.

"Good, I'd hate to think I was doing it wrong," returned Heero with a smile. Gently he continued to work the ointment into Duo's skin, strong fingers easing the ache in the sore muscles. More cream was applied and Heero began to work it into the skin around Duo's seat bones, softly running his hands across the base of Duo's cheeks and digging his thumbs into the flesh to coax away the ache. As he massaged so Heero felt his struggle with his hormones increase; unfortunately, his hormones were winning. With Duo's legs slightly spread he could see the base of the vet's sac and longed to massage it as well. Duo's ass lay before him, tempting him to explore a little and Heero was desperately trying not to give in to the urge to trace his fingers along the crevice.

Lying face down on the couch, Duo was unaware of Heero's inner battle with his libido; even if he had been aware of it there wasn't anything he could have done, he was suffering with his own turmoil. Heero's hands and fingers upon his flesh were triggering their own reaction in his body and he felt the warmth traveling down to settle in his groin. His cock began to harden and press against the roughness of the couch fabric. Duo longed to move his hips and find some friction to ease the ache but didn't dare move lest he upset Heero and the accountant's current ministrations. He bit his lip and tried to bring his body back under control.

Heero was fighting a losing battle, his cock refused to listen to him and hardened to the point of being painful, pressed tight against his restrictive jeans. He moaned softly and surrendered to the temptation before him, hoping that Duo wouldn't abuse him for taking such liberties with his body. So far in their pleasuring of each other they'd stuck to the simple things such as hand and blow jobs, never had they ventured towards anything else other than the odd grope of each other's ass through their clothing. Heero was about to step over that line and could only hope that Duo would forgive him, but he couldn't hold back any longer.

Carefully Heero let his fingers wander up a little and then ghosted them along the crevice of the milky ass before him. When Duo didn't leap up and deck him, Heero got a little bolder. He trailed his fingers up again, this time dipping in a little deeper. Gradually he worked his hands so they were massaging Duo's entire cheeks and then easing them apart a bit so as he could run his thumbs along the cleft. A muffled moan met his ears but it was the encouragement Heero needed. Carefully he spread Duo's cheeks, exposing the small, pink entrance to his sight and touch, drawing a sharp breath of excitement as his body flushed warm with the vision before him.

It was all Duo could do to stop himself from groaning out loud. Heero's fingers teasing his cleft was turning him on so much. His cock throbbed and ached and he longed to touch himself, to relieve some of the built up frustration; but he held still, worried that if he did, Heero would stop; and Duo didn't want Heero to stop. He moaned softly into the cushion and then his body froze completely, his eyes fluttered shut and he did groan; loudly as he was suddenly assaulted by pleasure he never knew he could feel. _Oh Gods, was Heero...? Oh, fuck, he was..._

Continuing to run his thumbs along the crevice, Heero slowly leaned closer to Duo's ass. His hot breath drifted over those cheeks and then Heero's tongue came out to play. He gently licked along the cleft, holding Duo's cheeks apart to give his mouth and tongue unhindered access. He heard the groan from Duo and felt the vet's body shudder with sensation, encouraging him to continue. Heero had never rimmed anyone before, so wasn't sure if he was doing this right or not, but he guessed from Duo's reactions that he must be doing something along the correct lines. His tongue continued to wander along the cleft, licking and flicking, teeth came into play, softly nibbling as Heero explored every inch of Duo's rear end. The tip of his tongue circled the small entrance causing his partner to squirm and wriggle and slowly he pushed the tip of his tongue just inside.

"Oh, shit, Heero," Duo moaned as his head tossed from side to side. "Feels good. Don't stop."

Heero had no intention of stopping, but he couldn't voice his reply as his mouth was too occupied with more pleasurable things. Duo's flesh tasted sweet with a hint of the lavender soap he favored and Heero's tongue eagerly sought out more of the delicious taste. His tongue probed gently at the pink entrance, pushing just a little way inside.

"Ahhh..." Duo had no idea he could be so sensitive there. His nerves were singing, body straining for more and Duo happily squirmed under the assault. Obviously his anus had a rich nerve supply, one he was discovering with remarkable clarity. As he wriggled so his cock rubbed against the couch, offering some friction but not enough to satisfy, only enough to torment him further.

Leaving his teasing of Duo's entrance, Heero moved his ministrations lower, licking along the cleft and to the sensitive patch of skin below. He managed to lift Duo's hips slightly and began to tongue the vet's balls, feeling the tightness and fullness of them. He sucked one into his mouth and played gently with it, feeling his own need rise further with Duo's moans and pleading for more. Eventually he couldn't take anymore and released his boyfriend from his torment. "Roll over for me, Duo," he demanded softly.

Hearing those words, Duo was happy to comply, shifting his body and lying on his back, cock pressed against his belly and dribbling fluid.

Heero climbed off the couch and removed his jeans, his cock straining against his underwear. The underwear was soon history and both men allowed their eyes to rake over each other's aroused body. Heero turned and giving Duo a smirk, pulled the vet further down the couch and then straddled the vet's shoulders.

Duo was caught off guard and wondered exactly what Heero was up to when the accountant pulled him down the couch a bit and then settled with his knees on either side of Duo's head. His unspoken question was soon answered though as Heero lowered himself slightly and leant forwards to take the tip of Duo's cock in his mouth. Heero's cock suddenly appeared in Duo's line of sight and he quickly registered what Heero had in mind. Duo opened his mouth and his tongue darted out to lick at the head of Heero's very swollen penis.

It was Heero's turn to moan as the sensation of Duo's tongue gently bathing the head of his cock registered in his brain. He carefully took the head of Duo's penis into his mouth and began to suck, running his tongue around the ridge, across the smooth head and teasing the tiny slit. Precum leaked steadily and Heero lapped it up, savoring the taste of Duo's essence. Gradually he slipped the rest of Duo's shaft into his mouth, sucking and licking as he went until he had as much of Duo in his mouth as he could take. Heero's cheeks hollowed as his mouth began to work, sucking as he slid up and down the shaft.

Mouths continued to pleasure, hands rested upon partner's hips to anchor each other as tongues discovered and reacquainted themselves with familiar territory. Duo's tongue explored every inch of Heero's shaft, sliding along the soft skin, pausing to flick over the head and slit then swirling once more around the thick length. He found Heero's sac and applied his skills to the swollen balls, delighting in the feel of Heero's testicles moving inside their protective scrotum.

The pleasure continued to build, each man trying to out do the other and make their partner come first. Heero thought he was winning until Duo began to hum around his erection. That was something new and Heero almost screamed with pleasure. Duo's throat vibrating around his sensitive flesh brought further heat to his groin and he knew he was about to fall from grace. He moaned and drew his mouth back a little, trying to warn Duo of his impending climax but unable to form coherent words.

Duo could sense Heero's building orgasm and hummed in appreciation, the effect it had on Heero was electrifying and Duo chuckled around his mouthful. He hummed again and felt Heero beginning to tense. Duo eased his mouth back a little but continued to hum and seconds later he was rewarded with Heero's seed, the thick, creamy fluid filling his mouth as he swallowed hastily.

With his orgasm sweeping over and through him, Heero's ministrations to Duo's cock slowed a little but as soon as he was able to focus again, Heero redoubled his efforts and brought the vet to his own climax. Duo's hips moved beneath him, thrusting the thick length into his mouth as Heero applied suction to the shaft and head. He was rewarded for his efforts as Duo's penis swelled and then burst forth with Duo's essence. Heero drank it all down, enjoying the taste of his boyfriend and suckling hungrily for more. As Duo's cock softened so Heero let it slip from his mouth, licking gently at the head to make sure he'd gotten every drop. Heero's own cock had also softened and Heero shifted himself to lie next to Duo, the sated organ flopping against his thigh. He brushed Duo's bangs away from his sweaty face and leant down to press a tender kiss against Duo's lips. "Enjoy that?"

"Mmmm..."

"Good." Heero snuggled a little closer, content to bathe in the afterglow.

"Shit, Heero. You never cease to amaze me. I've... I've never had anyone do that to me before," confessed Duo. "I didn't know it could feel like that."

"I've never done it myself either," Heero stated with a blush. "Did I do it right?'

"Fuck, yes! Well I think so, not having experienced it before and all... It felt wonderful." Duo thought it best to shut up now as he was beginning to babble a bit.

"I'm glad. I've always wanted to try it out, I mean, I've read about it but never tried it out on anyone or had it done to me so I thought with you lying there, all sort of open and... well... I couldn't help myself..." Heero trailed off, unable to find the correct words to express himself with and not completely sure that Duo wasn't mad at him for taking advantage of the situation.

Sensing Heero's inner struggle with himself, Duo was quick to put the accountant at ease. "Heero... You didn't take advantage of the situation or me. I enjoyed it, really I did and if I'd wanted to I could have stopped you at any time. I didn't want you to stop though, I wanted it as much as you did so don't start beating yourself up over it."

Heero stared into the violet eyes and saw that Duo was sincere with his words.

Duo reached a hand to cup Heero's cheek. "I'll be pissed off if you don't do that again some time," he murmured softly.

With a smile, Heero swooped in and stole another kiss. "I'd love to do it again, Duo, anytime you want."

***

True to Heero's prediction, Duo's muscles didn't ache or feel as sore the next day, the cream had helped. He could move around quite easily and assisted Heero to put the horses out in the paddock and clean the stables. Heero went off to work and Duo tidied up before opening the surgery for morning consults. The day went well and before he knew it Heero was home again. They shared lunch, discussing the morning's activities before Heero said he was was going to try Zero over some small jumps that afternoon. The horse had pulled up okay without any sign of lameness, heat or swelling in his ligaments or tendons from the work over the cavaletties these past couple of weeks and with the show circuit going to commence in a couple of months, Heero was eager to get his horse fit and ready.

Duo was just relieved that Heero hadn't suggested he have another riding lesson that day. His muscles may have been recovering fine, but he would prefer another day or two before venturing into the saddle again.

He followed Heero out to the paddock after the lunch dishes had been dealt with and helped to get the big gray ready. When Heero had brought his possessions over to Duo's he'd also brought his set of jump wings and poles. These had been placed into one of the paddocks and now Heero busied himself setting them up in a random pattern. With the wings positioned, Heero set the poles and height of the fences. "You think that should be all right to start him off with?" Heero asked Duo as he eyed the jumps. 

"Should be okay," replied Duo. "Warm him up first and then pop him over a couple of the lower ones, see how he handles those and then you can move onto the bigger ones."

The fences were set between two foot three and three feet, Heero didn't want to try anything too much higher until he felt certain that Zero's leg would take the pressure. With Zero saddled and bridled, Heero checked the jumping boots he'd put on Zero's forelegs and then mounted. 

Duo moved to stand under a tree and watch, that way he was close at hand to raise and lower the jumps as well as assist should Zero show any sign of going sore.

Heero picked up his reins and pushed Zero into the walk, the gray moving effortlessly over the ground. The work he'd been doing over the past few months had begun to tone his muscles again and once more Zero was looking like a show horse. The sun glinted off his coat and despite the coolness of the autumn air Zero couldn't help but throw in a few dancing steps. Heero allowed the horse to settle before asking for the trot.

Zero could see the jumps set up and his muscles quivered in anticipation. He loved to jump and eyed the fences as he trotted around. He gave a little buck then arched his neck and strode out. Zero could see the mare watching from her paddock and began to show himself off, picking his feet up and stepping with extra spring and bounce. He felt the aid from his master and tossed his head as he broke into a canter, enjoying and reveling in his fitness.

Watching from under the tree, Duo couldn't help but be impressed again. Heero sat the horse beautifully, seeming to melt into the animal's back. It was as if they became one together and Duo's awe only increased. He noted the smoothness with which the pair changed from one gait to another, as if communicating through telepathy and it left him feeling dizzy.

Heero was enjoying himself. The wind in his face the feeling of the horse powerful beneath him sent thrills down his spine. He changed gait and direction from time to time, feeling Zero respond and relax underneath him as his muscles warmed and loosened. At first the horse was fresh and eager, pulling a little, wanting Heero to let him go and get the tickle out of his feet. Gradually though he settled and listened to his master, obeying the commands he was given with a willingness to please. Once Heero decided that Zero was ready he brought the animal back to a walk and let him stretch out. He looked for Duo and spotted the vet sitting under one of the large trees and guided Zero over to him.

"I think he's ready now," Heero said softly as he drew the horse to a halt and petted the sweaty, gray neck.

"Okay," replied Duo with a smile. "Anything in particular you want me to do?"

"Would you mind keeping an eye on him as he goes around? I can only feel so much from up here so it helps to have someone on the ground to watch and let me know if there's any sign of lameness at all."

"No problem."

"Arigato." Heero turned Zero around and pushed the horse back into a canter again, circling around and picking out the first jump he would try. Having selected his 'target', Heero turned the horse towards the jump, shortened his reins and rode Zero into a more collected state.

Zero brought his hocks further under himself, shortening his stride but keeping the impulsion there. He spotted the jump ahead and his ears pricked up.

Steadying the horse, Heero rode him carefully at the jump; whilst it was only small compared to what they were used to jumping, Heero didn't want any mistakes. His practiced eye sought out the take off point and he applied his legs, giving with his hands as he allowed Zero to lengthen his frame then gather himself together for the jump.

Being a seasoned horse, Zero knew what his master was doing and eyed up the jump. He lengthened out, measured the height of the fence, selected his own take off point and then gathered himself together for the spring. The fence disappeared from his sight [2] as Zero brought his hocks right underneath his body and propelled himself into the air. His hind legs followed as he soared over the poles, forelegs neatly tucked under his chest and then extended out to take the shock of impact as he returned to the earth. Zero's hooves bit into the turf, his head came up to balance himself and as his hind legs came down and connected with the ground so Zero lifted his front end and pushed off and away from the fence, ears pricked and looking for the next jump.

Heero followed the movement of the horse, lifting his body up and forwards as Zero took off over the fence, his hands sliding up the neck so as not to jab Zero in the mouth but maintain a steady, soft contact. As Zero began to return to earth so Heero's body lowered and came back to the saddle, his hands returning along the neck to keep the contact, legs pressing against the horse's sides and pushing the momentum together. He picked up the slack in the reins and drove Zero together with his seat and legs, rebalancing the horse and preparing him for the next jump.

Holding his breath, Duo watched as Zero took the jump. With seemingly effortless grace the horse lifted from the ground and sailed over the fence, landing seconds later and cantering away to the next jump. Staring critically at Zero's legs, Duo could see no hint of lameness at all and that brought a smile to his lips. He watched carefully as Zero completed the rest of the jumps, clearing them all with ease and looking for more. 

Having jumped each fence twice, Heero brought the gray to a walk and patted the long neck enthusiastically. He could feel Zero's stride beneath, still even, so he knew the leg had stood up to the strain of the jumping so far. Bringing Zero to a halt beside the vet he quickly dismounted, ran up the stirrups and loosened the girth. "What do you think, Duo?" Heero asked as he fed Zero a couple of carrots.

Duo rubbed the horse affectionately between the eyes. "He did beautifully, Heero He cleared everything and I couldn't detect any difference to his gait. I'd like to check the leg though once he's cooled off and you remove the jumping boots. If there's going to be any problems at all I'd say they will show up in the next twelve to twenty four hours."

"Anything you recommend I should do in the meantime, Duo?"

"I'd suggest hosing the leg down to remove any heat that may occur and it wouldn't hurt to rub in some of the liniment as well. That way if there is any soreness it will help to disperse it quickly."

"Thanks." Heero wrapped his free arm around Duo's waist and pulled the vet close. "Have I told you today how much I love you, Duo?"

"Not in the last hour you haven't," chuckled Duo and kissed his boyfriend. Releasing Heero from the kiss, Duo smacked the accountant lightly on his ass. "You'd better take Zero up to the stables and unsaddle him before he gets cold and causes more problems. I'll go get Scythe and bring her in, it's starting to get a little cool out here."

"Okay. I'll meet you up there then." Heero gave Duo a smirk and turned to leave, leading Zero beside him.

Duo watched as Heero left, his eyes wandering over the slim form of his boyfriend and stopping at that sweet rear end. He licked his lips and felt the heat in his groin. Heero had really crawled under his skin, worked his way into his life until Duo couldn't imagine life without the dark haired man. He was happy, content, safe in the knowledge that Heero enjoyed his company as well, they shared a lot of common interests as well as some totally different ones. Heero appreciated the little things that Duo did for him just as Duo appreciated the things Heero did. Here was someone with whom Duo truly felt a kinship. Heero never talked down to him, he treated him with respect and was genuinely interested in the vet for who he was inside, not simply his looks and body. The side benefits of fooling around and discovering each other was an added bonus, one Duo was enjoying more and more. With a sigh and a smile, Duo turned to fetch Scythe from the paddock.

Catching the mare and clipping the lead rope to the halter, Duo spoke softly to the horse, confiding in her. "What am I going to do, Scythe?" he said softly as he opened the gate. "He's everything I want in a partner; kind, considerate, thoughtful, intelligent and has a great sense of humor when he lets it out. Why is he still with me? He could have anyone he wanted and yet he still stays with me. I don't have much to offer him and I know he wants to go all the way, fuck; I want to go all the way too; but..."

Scythe rubbed her head against Duo's arm.

"I'm scared, Scythe. If I give in to my feelings I'm frightened he won't respect me anymore, that he'll see me as an easy lay. But if I don't let more happen between us then I'm scared he will leave me, go and find someone else that he can bed that won't give him the excuses I have." Duo sighed. "I suppose it's a catch 22 situation, I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't."

Reaching the stable block, Duo shoved his thoughts aside and concentrated on the horses. He didn't need for Heero to see his troubled look and start to ask questions that Duo would find awkward to answer. He slipped on a mask and carried on as if nothing was on his mind.

With the horses safe inside the stables the pair returned to the house to get ready for the evening consults. Heero couldn't help but notice that Duo seemed a little distracted. He wondered what could be on the vet's mind. He decided to wait until they were in the house and having dinner before he questioned the other man.

The evening consults flew by for Duo, even in his slightly distracted state. With Zero now fully recovered and looking like his leg would stand up to the rigors of competition, Duo knew he was going to see less and less of Heero The man had to work the horse and get it fit and then there would be the shows to attend if Heero was to attain his goal. Somehow Duo felt as if his ideal life was slipping through his fingers and there wasn't anything he could do about it. He didn't want to lose Heero but he didn't want to stop the accountant from achieving his goal either. Frankly, Duo didn't know what to do.

Sitting down to eat the casserole that Heero had prepared earlier they ate in relative silence, discussing the odd client from time to time and then falling back into silence again. Finally Heero couldn't take it anymore.

"Duo?"

At the sound of his name, Duo looked up and met Heero's eyes before looking away. "Yes?"

"Something's bothering you. Don't say there's nothing, I can tell by your actions. Care to tell me what it is?"

Duo knew he should confide his fears but he was frightened that once Heero knew the other man would think him silly and that was something Duo didn't want. "It's... I'm just concerned about Zero, that's all," he lied.

Heero quirked an eyebrow. He knew an evasion when he heard one. "Oh? Why?" Heero decided to play Duo's game. He'd get the truth from the vet... eventually.

Knowing he was digging himself a deeper hole, Duo had no choice but to answer and try to be as convincing about it as he could. "I'm hoping that his leg stands up to all this work."

"You said earlier that his leg was fine."

"Yes, but..."

Heero lay his hand over the top of Duo's. "Are you going to tell me what's really bothering you, Duo?" Dark blue eyes pleaded with the vet's to let him in.

He couldn't fool Heero He should have known better than to try. Heero knew him far too well now and so Duo gave a soft sigh and shrugged his shoulders.

"Please, Duo," Heero pleaded. "It can't be that bad can it?"

"I'm scared," Duo whispered and hung his head.

Instantly Heero was out of his chair and squatted beside Duo's. He took both of Duo's hands into his own and gazed at the vet. "Scared? I don't understand. What are you scared about? Has someone threatened you? What's happened to make you scared?"

"No, it's nothing like threats. It's..."

"What? What is it, Duo? Tell me, please."

"I'm scared that I'm going to lose you, Heero" There, he'd said it. Now all he had to do was wait for Heero's laughter for him being so weak.

"Lose me?" Heero's brain was swimming; he hadn't a clue what had brought this on. "Why would you lose me?"

Duo took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He should have known better than to try and hide his feelings from Heero It was time to spill it all and if Heero thought him stupid, then so be it. He'd have to learn to live with it. "With Zero now pretty much back to normal you're going to be spending a lot of time working him and getting him back into shape. Once the shows start again you'll be off competing and I understand all that, Heero, really I do. I don't want you to give up your dream, that's the last thing I want, but..."

"Yes?" Heero said softly, encouraging Duo to continue.

Duo decided to say it all. "Once you're back out there on the circuit you'll meet all kinds of new and interesting people, people that will want to know you better; and, well... I'm just a boring vet with a country practice that can't get over his inhibitions and let you take that final step with me. You're a hot guy, Heero, a guy with needs and urges the same as me but I can't overcome that final barrier. I couldn't blame you if you get the offer to bed someone, fuck knows, you're not getting any from me with my stupid inhibitions and hang ups." Duo bit down hard on his lip to stop the tears that were gathering from spilling over. That was all he'd need, to start crying in front of Heero and confirm that he was a sissy.

Heero's heart crumpled in his chest. "Is that what you think, Duo? That simply because we haven't made love together that I'm going to find someone else when I'm competing and fuck them instead?"

Duo nodded.

"Then you don't know me very well." Heero's voice held a touch of anger to it that he quickly tried to quell. Duo didn't need him to be angry, Duo needed reassurance. Heero stood up and drew Duo from his chair. Heero sat down and placed Duo on his lap, bringing the vet's face into his line of vision and making sure he had Duo's complete attention. "Baka," he began softly. "Yes, I am going to be busy with Zero getting him fit for the shows and all. Yes, I will be out competing on the weekends but I had hoped you would go with me when you can. You're my good luck charm, Duo. As for other people and getting laid... I told you before, I'm not interested in you just for sex, Duo. I care about you, a lot. I want to spend my time with you and only you, I don't want anyone else. Duo, I'm not about to leave you, not now and not in the future. I want to stay here with you for as long as you will have me. I don't care if we never have sex, what we do share is special and enough for me. Duo, I'm happy here, you make me happy. Do you want me to go and give all that up?"

Duo gave a soft sob. "No," he choked out.

"Then stop thinking about it because it's never going to happen. I'm in love with you, Duo. Deeply, madly, passionately in love with you. Don't push me away, I don't want to leave, I don't want anyone else; I only want you. You will have to prise me away with a crow bar if you want to get rid of me. I'm like a parasite, I can only exist with your love, Duo."

Staring into Heero's blue eyes, Duo could see the pain he'd caused with his words and regretted them. He should have known better than to think Heero would leave him. "I'm sorry," he murmured as his tears broke and ran freely down his face.

"No, I'm sorry, Duo. I should have realized you might be feeling threatened with the amount of time I put into Zero and my hobby. Please believe me when I say I'll give it all up for you, Duo if that's what you want."

Duo's head whipped up. "NO! Don't you dare stop riding or competing, Heero. You're good at it, you and Zero, you can be the best. I'd never forgive myself if you didn't compete, if you gave all that up for me. I promise to try and stop these silly feelings I have. I know you care about me, Heero, I just can't help but think you must be getting frustrated though."

"I'm not frustrated at all, Duo; well, not sexually that is, I'm more frustrated that you can't accept that I'm willingly here, that having sex together isn't what's important to me. Your love and friendship is what's important to me, Duo."

Hanging his head, Duo had to admit that Heero was sincere. He felt foolish for ever having doubted the accountant.

"You're not going to lose me, Duo. Not now, not ever. I'm here because I want to be and I want to stay." Heero wrapped his arms firmly around Duo and kissed every inch of Duo's face that he could find.

Duo began to feel a little better. He was still uncomfortable with his having had doubts, but was equally determined to make it up to Heero. "Heero?" he hiccuped softly as his tears stopped.

"Hai?"

"When you start competing again... Would I... Would you let me come along and be your groom?"

"I won't compete if you're not there with me," replied Heero. "I meant what I said about you being my good luck charm. If you hadn't been at that Agricultural show I don't know if Zero would have made a full recovery, but I do know that I would have been completely lost without the help and care you gave both of us."

Duo chuckled. "It was a pretty spectacular fall."

"One I'm in no hurry to repeat. At least I'll be the only competitor there with my own personal physician," snickered Heero

"I'm sorry for doubting your integrity, Heero I guess I was just a little overwhelmed by everything that's happened lately."

"Put it out of your head, Duo. I'm here to stay, for better or for worse."

"This isn't a wedding, Yuy."

"I wouldn't mind if it was."

"Homosexual weddings are against the law, Heero."

"Too bad. No one says we can't hold our own ceremony though." Heero winked at Duo.

"You mean you would...?"

"I said I loved you and I do."

"I love you too, Heero," sighed Duo. Feeling a lot happier, Duo snuggled close to his boyfriend's chest.

"There is of course the small matter of the wedding night and honeymoon..."

"HEERO!"

The accountant chuckled and hugged Duo closer. "There's no rush, Duo. If and when you're ready we will take that step and not before."

"Thanks, Heero."

~ * ~ 

tbc.....

 

[1] Deep heat: This is the brand name of a gel available here in Aussie and is used to ease muscular aches, sprains and strains.

[2] Believe it or not but given the way a horse's eyes are attached anatomically to its head it loses sight of a showjump roughly three strides away from take off, this is why it becomes important for the rider to allow the horse to have a clear view of the fence on the approach and then to apply the seat and legs in those final three strides; ie; push, push and the third push is the strongest telling the horse that this is the take off point.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28 

Duo waited impatiently for Heero to come home from work, pacing the kitchen and glancing at the envelope that sat on the table. Heero had attended the hearing at the Accountancy board's office over a week ago now and was still awaiting the outcome. Duo had been unable to attend with Heero, firstly because he couldn't leave the practice and secondly because he really wasn't anything to do with the case. He'd wanted to go, simply to be there to offer Heero moral support, even if it was from a cafe nearby where he'd no doubt have to wait; but it had been impossible.

Heero had returned still none the wiser as to the possible outcome. He'd answered the questions he'd been asked, submitted the evidence he'd needed to, including a copy of the taped conversation between himself and Donaldson. He'd been cross examined and managed to hold his dignity and his temper. Donaldson had also been questioned and Heero had taken great delight in telling Duo all about how the man had squirmed under the questions. He'd tried to deny his actions but the tape had proved to be Heero's savior; he couldn't refute the recorded evidence.

Heero had admitted that he hadn't handled his side of the conversation with Donaldson in the best of ways, allowing his temper to get the better of him; but he could be forgiven that little discretion under the circumstances. Heero had been pleased to see that none of the other employees had been required to attend the hearing and give evidence. He'd been concerned about dragging anyone else into the fiasco, knowing that Donaldson would make their life hell at the office once the hearing was over.

The committee had adjourned to discuss the case in private once all the evidence had been presented and informed the respective parties that they would be notified in due course as to the outcome of the inquiry and the board's recommendations.

Now it looked like the results from the inquiry were in and Duo was eager to learn the results. He heard the sound of an approaching car and rushed to the window. The noise grew louder and then Heero's car swept around the drive and to the back of the house. 

As Heero parked the car and turned off the engine so he was accosted by an excited, braided vet. "Whoa, Duo! What's up?" Heero asked as he managed to undo his seat belt.

"Oh, Heero, I'm so glad you're home. There's an envelope come for you in the mail today. It's one of those big, formal looking yellow ones. I think it's from the Accountancy Board."

"Aa, so that's what this is all about," stated Heero as he managed to get out of the car. He could see how excited Duo was and had to admit his own heart rate had increased at the mention of whom the letter was probably from. They walked to the house together, Duo trying to get Heero to hurry.

"Is the kettle on, Duo? I could use a coffee," said Heero in a calm voice.

"No, it isn't but I can make you one after you open the letter," replied Duo.

"I think I'd like the coffee first," teased Heero. He could see just how much the vet was itching to know what the result was and he couldn't help but tease a little. He was secretly just as eager to know the results but couldn't resist the urge to torment his boyfriend.

"Heero!" Duo whined, "That's not fair. Look, I know it's really none of my business and all but I feel as if I've gone through this inquiry with you and so it sort of relates to me as well."

Heero took pity on the vet and wrapped his arms around the long haired man. "I know, Duo. I'm only teasing you. You have been through all this with me so you do have a right to know what the outcome is. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be teasing you like this." Heero placed a kiss to Duo's neck. "Forgive me?"

"Mmmm... I'll have to think about that," replied Duo as his insides began to flutter. "You can make it up to me later, for now though I want you to open that envelope and see what the board has decided."

"Yes, boss," Heero snickered and released the vet. He picked up the envelope from the table and sat down, Duo sat opposite him, an expectant look on his face. Heero tore open the envelope and extracted the contents, unfolded the letter and began to read.

Whilst Heero was perusing the letter, Duo fidgeted in his seat and tried to gain some clue by reading Heero's face and eyes but the accountant managed to keep his face neutral so Duo didn't have a clue as to whether the news was good or bad. 

Eventually Heero finished reading and dropped the letter to the table, leaning back and closing his eyes for a moment.

"Well?!" Duo demanded, unable to keep his frustration at bay any longer.

Heero's face broke out into a smile, a genuine, from the heart, smile. "It's all good, Duo. Here, read for yourself." Heero passed the letter over and closed his eyes again, the smile still playing over his lips.

Duo took the letter, relief flooding his body. Skimming over the formal top part he got straight to the guts of the matter.

_Dear Mr. Yuy,_

_It is with great pleasure that I write to inform you of the Accountancy Board's decision in case 421 - Yuy versus Donaldson of Browning Smith and Donaldson._

_After reviewing all the evidence submitted and the statements from both parties it is the board's decision that Mr. Donaldson acted in a manner that is unacceptable and unethical to the board's standards and requirements._

_Whilst the board expected that an accountant of your experience and credibility would maintain his composure and temper, we can understand your loss of control given the circumstances. However, we do expect that you conduct yourself in a manner befitting a member of our profession in the future._

_In relation to the case, the board finds that Mr. Donaldson's behavior in this circumstance to be out of order and it is the board's recommendation that Mr. Donaldson be required to issue a formal, written apology to you for his actions and words. He is also to receive a formal reprimand from the board and placed on probation for a period of twelve months. Should any further issues arise in regards to Mr. Donaldson's behavior towards a member of staff then the board reserves the right to terminate his affiliation with the board and revoke his license to practice as an accountant._

_Furthermore, due to the circumstances under which you resigned from the company Browning, Smith and Donaldson, the board requests that the company be forthcoming in payment of all outstanding monies owed to you from your term of employment, including holiday pay, sick pay, superannuation and two weeks wages in lieu of the usual termination notice. These monies will be paid directly to the board and we will notify you once they have been received to arrange deposit of the funds into your account._

_Should you have any further questions in regards to this matter then please contact myself, your case manager Sylvia Noventa who will be happy to assist._

_Kind regards_

_Sylvia Noventa ._

The grin that had begun to form on Duo's face had gotten wider and wider as he read the letter. "Yes!" he stated as he dropped the letter to the table and looked at Heero. "And so they should pay you what they owe you, Heero. Good to see that that rat Donaldson is getting his just desserts too. I'd have loved to have had the chance to spend two minutes with him and my scalpel, I'd have sorted the bastard out good and proper."

"Would you now?" replied Heero, the smile still on his face.

"Yup. That prick would have been singing soprano for the rest of his life," stated Duo, his violet eyes sparkling.

"Castration would be too good for him, Duo. His sort are more hurt and humiliated by being forced to apologize and knowing that he's under constant observation is going to eat at him too. I'd say it's a safe bet that the rest of the staff are going to appreciate this turn of events as well and that they will be doing their level best to make certain that he doesn't put a foot out of line. I'd say he's not even going to make the six month mark without being in trouble with the board again."

Duo laughed. "Serves him right. Maybe he should take lessons in personality development."

 

Well, he's already scored perfect marks in the asshole division."

Duo got up and went to sit in Heero's lap and wound his arms around his boyfriend's shoulders. "I'm glad he got what he deserved, Heero. It's great news."

"Hai, it is," replied Heero and snuggled a little closer to Duo.

"We should go out and celebrate."

"Your Chinese friend's place?" asked Heero as he nuzzled Duo's neck.

"Mmmm... Why not."

"You want to make a reservation, my treat?"

"Heero, you don't have to pay, I was going to take you out to celebrate."

"If you don't let me pay then I won't go."

Duo knew it was fruitless to argue. Once Heero had his mind set on something it was like trying to demolish a brick wall with a toothpick. He sighed. "Okay. I'll go call Wufei and make the booking. Eight okay?"

"If you think we will be finished with the consults by then."

"Should be done by seven fifteen. Correction. We WILL be done by seven fifteen."

"Okay then. Now, what about that coffee?"

"Coming right up," chuckled Duo and shifted from Heero's lap to put the kettle on. 

***

Two weeks had passed since Heero received the letter from the Accountancy Board when a second letter arrived to inform him that the monies owed to him were now in the possession of the board and they required his bank account details to deposit the funds for him. Heero had happily provided the details and had been surprised at the sum he'd gotten. He went straight into the bank after finishing work and paid out what was outstanding on his loan for the purchase of his horse float. Having taken care of that piece of business, he stopped off at a cafe for a bite of lunch as Duo had a couple of 'house calls' to make and wouldn't be home until around three.

Sitting at the small table and sipping his coffee whilst waiting for his club sandwich, Heero spotted the pile of magazines and newspapers provided for customers to read whilst they enjoyed the quiet of the cafe. Heero picked up that day's edition of the paper and began to skim through it. He'd found his way into the advertisements section and was busy reading through the livestock column when his lunch arrived. He folded the paper so as he could continue to read whilst eating his sandwich. As his eyes scanned over the various adverts noting the different things for sale from feed to saddlery, horses, cattle and machinery, his eyes fell on an advert for a show. Eagerly he took out his notebook and pen from his briefcase and jotted down the details of the show along with the secretary's 'phone number.

Zero's work had increased as the horse's fitness improved and Heero was happy with the way the gray was coming along. The leg had shown no signs of heat, swelling or lameness and Heero was encouraged. The true test though would be when Zero had to face real competition. It was one thing to go around a course of jumps in the paddock at home; the show scene was entirely different.

Tucking his notebook and pen back into his briefcase, Heero finished his sandwich and left.

***

"You home, Heero?" Duo sang out as he entered the house. He knew Heero had to be here somewhere, the accountant's car was parked out back. When there wasn't any response to his calls, Duo searched though the house on the off chance that Heero may have been taking a shower or just busy in his room. The Japanese man wasn't anywhere to be found though so Duo concluded he must be outside, probably in the stables as Duo didn't recall seeing Heero in the paddock as he'd pulled in. Checking the answering machine for messages and finding only one, Duo left the house and went down to the stable block to find his missing boyfriend.

Heero had given Zero a good workout, raising the jumps to a good four feet and had been pleased with the way Zero had taken them. The horse was a natural jumper and loved every minute of his work. Happy with the way Zero had performed, Heero took the gray back to the stable block and unsaddled him. So busy had he been in tending to the horse, Heero failed to hear Duo's car pull up. He didn't know that the vet had come home until Duo stepped into the stables just as Heero was putting Zero's light rug on.

"There you are," said Duo as he stepped into the shade of the stables.

"Hey, I didn't hear you pull in," replied Heero as he finished buckling up the chest strap. "How did you go with the call outs?"

"Fine. Mrs. Higgins' dog's claws shouldn't need trimming again for a little while and the pig was in false labor," replied Duo as he walked into the feed shed to fetch a carrot for Zero.

The gray wuffled in expectation, his ears pricked and looking for Duo to reemerge. He wasn't disappointed when moments later the vet reappeared with a handful of carrots. Zero pawed at the floor in impatience, stretching his neck as far as the lead rope would allow in an attempt to get the carrots quicker.

Duo chuckled softly and handed a carrot to the horse. "There you go, piggy," he snickered and patted the gray neck.

"Piggy?" inquired Heero as he clipped up the leg straps of the rug.

"Even you can't deny he's a glutton when it comes to carrots," retorted Duo as he fed another to the horse. "How did he go?"

"Great. I put the jumps up to four foot and he sailed over everything. There's no heat in the leg and no signs of soreness. I'd say he's ready to start back on the circuit."

"Good." Duo gave the horse another carrot, locked in his thoughts for a moment.

"Something wrong, Duo?" Heero asked as he noticed the vet's distraction.

"Huh? Oh, no, nothing wrong, Heero."

"Then what's on your mind?"

"I was just wondering; if and when you start back out competing, won't you have to start back up in the grade you were competing in before your fall?" Duo fed Zero another carrot. "It could be a bit much for him at this stage of the game, I mean with his leg and all only really just starting to come into the tough work. There's a pretty big difference between jumping a fence of three feet and one of five foot. I know I'm not all that clued up when it comes to the intricacies of the competition and stuff but I know enough about physics to understand that even though there may only be two feet difference that two feet adds an entirely different pressure combination to the legs." Duo paused and looked at Heero to see if the man was following his line of speech.

"I understand exactly what you're saying, Duo and yes, what you talk about is true. Obviously the higher the obstacle the more effort is required to get over it successfully and as such when the horse comes to the landing part there is going to be a much greater force of impact to the front legs."

"Then how can you be sure that Zero is going to be able to take that force successfully?" Duo gave the horse the last carrot.

"I can't be certain of that," replied Heero, his mouth set in a grim line. "The only way to find out is to attempt it. But..." Heero wrapped an arm around Duo's waist. "I have contacted the E.F.A. and because Zero has been out of competition for over six months due to his injury, they are prepared to let me start him back off in official competition a grade lower than he's currently at. That way we will be able to see if he's going to be able to stand up to the stress and strain."

"At least they have their heads screwed on the right way and have a certain amount of respect for the animal," smiled Duo.

"I'll give them their due, Duo. In this sport the horse's welfare and safety always comes first." Heero began to untie the lead rope and lead Zero back out to the paddock, Duo walking beside him. Once the gray was back in the paddock the two men headed for the house. 

Sitting down in the lounge room with a sandwich, Duo looked up as Heero entered, his note book in his hand. "What's up?"

"Just getting back to our conversation before, Duo; about Zero and competing again."

"Yes?"

"I stopped off at the bank on my way home and paid out the loan on the horse float."

"And?"

"I had a sandwich at a cafe and read the paper whilst I was there. I came across an advert for a show that's coming up in four weeks time. It's about half an hour's drive away so I thought I'd give the show secretary a call and see if I can get a program sent out and see what jumping events they have scheduled. It's an unofficial show and would be ideal to start Zero off at again and test out the leg."

"Ah. Now I understand," replied Duo. "What are you waiting for then? Give them a call now. You can always get them to fax you the entry form if it's quicker."

"Thanks." Heero headed for the 'phone to make his call. Duo watched him go, a smile on his lips.

A few minutes later, Heero returned a couple of sheets of paper in his hand. He sat down on the couch next to Duo, skimming over the papers.

"I take it they faxed the forms to you?" Duo said as he looked over Heero's shoulder.

"Hai, they did."

"Anything there suitable for Zero to compete in?"

"Maybe. Being as it's unofficial they haven't got the usual number of events you would expect at an official show. There's an open table AM3 jumping class that would suit Zero."

"Umm... Heero?"

"Hai?"

"What the hell language are you speaking here?"

Heero glanced up from the paper and turned a fetching shade of red. "Errr.. Sorry, Duo, I keep forgetting you're not into the horse scene as much as I am."

"It's okay. Just try to explain these things in plain English for me, huh? Remember, I'm a bit thick when it comes to things like tables, am's and pm's. The numbers I know, I did pass maths after all," Duo said with a chuckle.

Heero shook his head. "I'll try and explain it for you. Open event means anyone can enter, registered or non-registered E.F.A. The height of the fences though is usually quite big. They tend to start off around three foot six and go up for the jump off. The different types of competitions are given a different 'table' with differing rules and such for each type of table and competition. For example; a table AM3 competition means that you have to jump a pre-set course of obstacles in the order of one to however many there are. All competitors that go around the course without any jumping faults and within the time allowed go through to the jump off. The jump off is usually over a shorter course with the jumps having been raised and you're also against the clock. That way the competitor with the least number of faults in the fastest time is the winner."

"Ahhh..."

"Then you have what's called a Table AM7. In this event you again jump a pre-set course in the order of one to however many and if you clear everything, again within the time allowed, you report back to the judge and then do your jump off, against the clock over a shorter course. The fences are not raised in this event."

"Oh…kay."

"It's really not all that hard, Duo. Once you've watched a few events and been around the shows a bit you soon pick it up."

"I take it there's more?"

"Oh, yes. You have your Table C competitions and then there's your speed ones such as Time, Fault and Out, Take your own Line, Hit and Hurry and Jackpot, to name a few. You can also have a Six Bar, that's six jumps in a row with one stride in-between each fence, or a Puissance which is where one fence goes wider and another higher with each round until there's only one person left."

"Fucking hell! And I thought that learning the anatomy of a goldfish was hard!"

Heero began to laugh. "The anatomy of a goldfish?"

"Yeah, well. Suffice to say I didn't major in fishyology."

"Fishyology?" Heero quirked an eyebrow.

"You know what I mean," Duo gave Heero a grin. "Shit! I had no idea that there was so much involved in showjumping."

"There's a whole lot more to jumping than simply sitting on the horse's back and going around jumping a few fences. You have to know your competitions, the different rules and regulations as well as being able to ride the horse properly."

"I think I'll stick to vet science, thanks. It sounds a hell of a lot easier than this horse stuff."

"Oh, look," Heero suddenly said as his eyes returned to the paper he held.

"What?" asked Duo and craned his neck to see.

"They have some hacking and dressage competitions as well. There's a class here that would suit Scythe."

"Where?"

"Here." Heero proceeded to read out the details of the class. "Class six. Maiden Hack over fifteen hands. Horse and rider combination not to have won a first place anywhere in any competition."

"Do you think you would be able to get her fit and presentable enough for that? Would you have the time to show Scythe and jump Zero?" Duo asked as he read the details.

"Duo... I wasn't thinking about me showing Scythe."

"Then why did you? ... Oh." Duo stopped in mid sentence when he saw the way that Heero's intense blue eyes were staring at him.

"Ummm..." Duo had an idea of what was coming and he didn't like it.

"I think it would be a great opportunity for you to get some show experience, Duo."

"Nh uh, no way, Heero."

"Why not? You've had a few more lessons and you're not doing too badly."

"I'm not going to make a fool out of myself."

"You only have to sit there and go around in a circle at the walk, trot and canter."

"I can barely rise to the trot."

"Then if the judge likes you and your horse they will call you into the line up."

"I'd fall off at the canter. In case it's not been drawn to your notice, I can't canter, Heero."

"If you make it to the line up you only have to do a simple workout one at a time."

"I'm not going to do it."

"Come on, Duo. It will be fun."

"No, Heero. Besides, I don't have the clothing or the know how to do it. I'm better off sitting on the side lines, playing the part of cheer squad and watching you."

"I can lend you a pair of my jodhpurs, you already have a shirt and tie and I'm sure my jacket would fit you," Heero carried on doing his best to persuade Duo.

"I'm not wearing those things," Duo stated flatly.

"What things?"

"Those jodhpurs. They're almost indecent."

"Huh?" Now Heero looked perplexed. "What do you mean, almost indecent?"

"The way they fit, Heero. Surely you have noticed. They're so tight that they show off just about everything you have in the package department; errr... not that I'm complaining about the sight of you in them, no way. You have a nice package, one to be proud of; but it's like those guys in the ballet with their tights, they leave nothing to the imagination and I don't want to be prancing around showing off my assets to anyone and everyone. You can if you like, Heero. You do have a nice package if I might say so, and ass and all and it shows up really well in those things... Ummm... You got a ladder there so I can climb out of this hole I've dug myself into?" Duo had turned a rather fetching shade of red as he gave vent to his feelings about jodhpurs, not realizing just how far he'd gone with his comments.

Heero's blue eyes were twinkling as they studied the embarrassed vet. "I have a nice package, do I?"

"Ummm..."

"So you've been checking out my assets instead of concentrating on learning to ride or watching Zero's legs whilst I work him?"

"Not exactly. I have been watching Zero's legs and paying attention to you when you're giving me a lesson, but it's hard not to be distracted when you're wearing those skin tight things." Duo thought if he got any redder he'd spontaneously combust.

"I see," said Heero with a smirk as he folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in the chair, stretching his long legs out in front of him and spreading them a little. He still had his jodhpurs on from riding and took a quick glance at himself. What Duo had said was right, they were tight and didn't leave a whole lot to the imagination.

"Do you have to do that?"

"What?" Heero asked in all innocence.

"Sit there like... Oh, hell, you know what I mean," growled Duo.

"No, I don't," teased Heero, watching the young vet squirm.

"Bastard!" Duo lunged forwards and kissed Heero savagely, lowering his hand to the dark haired man's groin and thoroughly groping him through those jodhpurs.

***

Fifteen minutes later, Heero picked up the papers from where they'd landed on the floor and tried to straighten his clothing. Duo lay sprawled on the couch, his jeans still unzipped and a sated smile on his face. "You sure I can't change your mind, Duo?" Heero asked as he ran his fingers through his disheveled hair.

"Nope. I flatly refuse to compete and nothing you can say or do will get me to change my mind or get me into a pair of those," replied Duo as he nodded towards Heero's jodhpurs. "It's going to take all my self control not to molest you at a show as it is."

Heero chuckled. "I don't mind being molested by you." Heero leant over his boyfriend and placed a kiss to those sweet lips. "I'll go fill out the entry form and send it off."

"I'll go start to bring in the horses, once I've regained some strength," murmured Duo as he closed his eyes and enjoyed the happy thrum of his satisfied body.

"I'll help you once I get back from posting the entry."

***  
The day of the show came around quicker than Heero thought it would. He'd spent the last two weeks working Zero harder, mostly on the flat with only a few jumps here and there. He wanted to be sure that the horse had every chance with his leg and had pushed Zero in every way he could think of to test the leg out. So far Zero had come through with flying colors. 

Duo had come home from a call out on the Saturday afternoon to find Heero completely soaked and Zero so clean that Duo was almost dazzled by the reflection off the gray's coat. Whilst Zero dried off, Heero had set about organizing the gear he would need for the show. Duo helped as best he could which basically meant carrying the various items out to the car and loading them up.

"Shit, Heero. I thought you were only going for one event," complained Duo as he bent to pick up some more gear.

"I am," replied Heero.

"Then how come you need so much stuff?"

"There isn't really all that much, Duo. Water bucket, haynet, saddle, bridle, jumping boots, rug, grooming kit, saddle blanket, helmet, spare girth, carrots... Ack, I almost forgot these." Heero quickly dived into the gear shed and came out holding his whip and something silver.

"What are those?" Duo asked as he pointed to the silver things Heero was carrying.

"Spurs."

"Ohhh... Didn't know you went in for that S & M stuff, Heero," Duo snickered.

"DUO!" Heero stopped dead in his tracks and turned his disbelieving eyes in the vet's direction. "I use them on Zero," he stated. "I get a better response from him when I wear these, rather than just the whip."

Duo petted Zero's neck. "Ahh, so you're into this S & M thing too, Zero? You get off on a little pain do you, boy? Hmmm, I never would have picked your master for being into bestiality or you into pain. Eeeep!" Duo yelped as Heero came up behind him and grabbed him around the waist.

"I am not into any of those things, Duo, and you know it. Now if you don't stop with the teasing I just might develop an urge to try out spanking you with my whip."

"You wouldn't?" Duo tried to feign being afraid but with the grin forcing its way onto his face the effect was ruined.

"Actually, sitting trot without any stirrups in your next riding lesson might cure you from teasing me," replied Heero, a look of mischief dancing in his eyes.

Duo moaned. He could feel the pain already in his balls and that was only from the threat. "You wouldn't be that cruel to me, Heero," he smirked.

"Just remember, it doesn't pay to piss off the riding instructor." With a quick kiss, Heero went to place the last of the items into the car and hook up to the horse float.

*

With the memories of the previous day fresh in his mind, Duo was careful not to tease Heero on the morning of the show. They rose early, even though Heero's class wasn't scheduled to begin until after lunch, but Heero wanted to allow plenty of time to get to the show, find parking and allow Zero time to settle and adjust to the show scene after being away from it for so long.

They ate a quick breakfast of their own after giving the horses theirs. Whilst Duo cleaned up the kitchen, Heero went to get changed, putting his show clothes on and then a pair of overalls over the top to ensure he stayed clean. Duo had made them a picnic lunch of sandwiches and fruit to take and carried the basket out to the car. He popped it on the back seat while Heero checked that the float coupling was connected correctly and then dropped the tail gate in preparation for Zero to enter. Duo took Scythe out to the paddock and left her with a large haynet to munch on before going back into the stable block and cleaning out the mare's stable. Heero had Zero out of his stable and tied up to a ring in the wall whilst he cleaned out the gray's stable. Once the stables were clean, Duo put in the feeds ready for their return and refilled the water buckets. Heero fetched his floating boots and proceeded to put them on Zero.

"All set?" Duo asked as Heero checked the fastenings on the last boot.

"Hai. All ready to go." Heero untied Zero and began to lead him out to the horse float, Duo paused to pull across the sliding door to the stable block and lock it. Pocketing the key he went to give Heero a hand.

"Once I lead him in could you put up the tail chain behind him, please?" Heero asked as he approached the tail gate of the float.

"Sure," replied Duo and walked over to the side of the float in readiness.

"Come on, big fellow," Heero encouraged as he approached the float.

Zero's ears went forwards and he gave a snort. He hesitated for a second at the bottom of the ramp and then stepped on and inside the float. Duo lifted the chain and hooked it up. "You okay in there, Heero?"

"Fine. I'll just tie him up and then I'll give you a hand with the tail gate."

"Okay." Duo waited and Heero appeared a moment later. The two of them raised the tail gate and slipped the bolts home to secure it.

"All set?" Heero asked as he closed the front door on the float.

"Yup. You got everything?"

Heero ran a mental check list. "Hai. I can't think of anything we've missed, so let's get going." Heero walked over to the driver's door and got in. Duo followed and climbed into the passenger seat, buckling up his seat belt. Heero started the car and slowly began to move. Zero shifted a little in the float, finding his balance and then steadied to munch on his haynet.

"Know where you're going?" Duo asked as they pulled out onto the road.

"I checked the road map last night. It should take us about forty five minutes to get there."

"Good." Duo checked his pager was still attached to his jeans and then settled back into his seat to enjoy the ride, watching the scenery pass by.

It took them just over the forty five minutes to get to the showground, but as Heero had allowed plenty of time they still had a couple of hours before Zero's class. Heero drove carefully across the grass and found a reasonably shady area to park in. Once he'd brought the float to a stop and turned off the car, they proceeded to unload Zero.

The gray came bounding down the ramp, ears pricked, eyes bulging and nostrils flared. He gave a few dancing steps, almost pulling Heero off his feet as he tossed his head around, gazing at the scene and horses around him. He snorted and pawed the ground before giving an ear piercing whinny.

"Someone's excited," snickered Duo as he watched the horse's antics.

Heero though, wasn't about to put up with any of the gray's misbehavior. He gave a sharp tug to the lead rope. "Zero! Cut it out and behave yourself," he scolded. When Zero ignored him and tried to pull Heero off to the side, Heero gave a sharper tug and a smack to Zero's neck. The gray pulled up short and turned to look at his master. "Enough! Where's your manners?" Heero growled.

Zero hung his head a little and allowed himself to be brought to the side of the float where Heero tied him up. He still continued to flick his ears back and forth, listening to the sounds of the show and the other horses.

"Anything I can do to help, Heero?" Duo asked as his boyfriend tied up the gray.

"Would you mind getting the water bucket out and filling it up for me, please? I think I saw a tap just over there on the side of that building," replied Heero.

"No problem." Duo turned to the car and fetched the water bucket out, whistling softly he headed in the direction of the building and found the tap. He quickly turned on the tap and set the bucket underneath it, watching the people around him as it filled. There were all sorts of horses and riders around, ranging from small ponies through to larger animals like Zero. A couple of children passed him on a pair of ponies and Duo couldn't help but smile at the two. They looked so cute and yet professional with their ponies manes all plaited up. With the bucket now full, Duo carried it back to the float and Heero.

Heero had managed to get the floating boots off Zero and tied up the haynet by the time Duo reappeared with the water bucket. He took it off the vet and set it down so as Zero could reach it but not get too much hay dropped into it either. "He should be fine for a few minutes," said Heero as he patted the gray's rump underneath the light rug he wore. "We need to find the secretary and collect my number and confirm that I'm here. Then we can find out what time the course will be open for walking and also if they're running on time."

"Lead on, Heero," replied Duo. "I’m new to all this shit so you're gonna have to educate me."

Heero smiled. "I'd say the secretary should be inside that building." 

The two of them walked across the grass together, both with their hands buried in their pockets. Duo wanted nothing more than to hold Heero's hand but that would be inviting trouble, so the vet had to content himself with occasionally brushing shoulders with the accountant. They found the secretary, a dark haired, harassed looking woman behind the desk inside the building. Heero told her who he was and collected his number, also finding out when he would be able to walk the course and pleased to note that the show was running on time. Stepping back out of the building onto the verandah he paused to look around for a few moments.

"Want to take a walk ring side and watch a couple of events, Duo?"

"Love to," replied Duo. He was fascinated with the scene. Even though he'd been the presiding vet at the Agricultural show a while ago, he hadn't had much of a chance to watch anything and the events that he had seen he didn't follow too well. With Heero beside him he knew he'd get a running commentary and was looking forward to it. They stopped by the ring where the dressage was taking place. Currently a small pony was in the ring performing all sorts of things that Duo had yet to learn.

"That's dressage, Duo. There are many different levels, starting off from Preliminary, Novice, and Elementary going right through to Prix St George and Grand Prix. Again it works on a grading system; you achieve points for a placing and once you have reached so many points you move up to the next level. The levels get harder the higher you go. The arena you see measures sixty meters by twenty meters and has letters scattered around it. Each level has roughly four tests to it and the show organizers decide which tests will be ridden that day. You have to learn the test and then ride it in the arena where you are judged. It's kind of what you would call a test of education and obedience; you have to perform certain movements at certain marker points."

"Ahh. Looks kinda complicated," replied Duo as he watched the pony continue to trot around the arena.

"It isn't really. More a case of being able to remember the test and where the markers are," stated Heero. "Come on, the hacking is over this way."

Duo left the dressage arena and followed Heero to another ring where roughly five horses were standing in a line up, a sixth one working out.

"That's hacking; the next class is the one I was trying to get you to take Scythe into. It's basically a beauty contest for horses, but their conformation and education also comes into it."

"So you've not only got to look good, you've also got to be able to work well?"

"Hai. Watch, here comes your class."

Duo's eyes were fixed on the ring as he watched the next class enter and he was even more grateful now that his stubborn streak had presided and he'd refused to let Heero talk him into showing Scythe. All the horses looked perfect, beautifully turned out, coats gleaming, saddlery shining and their riders immaculate. As they moved around the ring so Duo did his best to be critical and select the ones he thought would be called into the line up. As it turned out, he wasn't far wrong. Three of his selections made it to the line up and were given the opportunity to work out separately. Eventually the large bay was given first, the chestnut second and the light bay that Duo had liked placed third.

"Wish you'd entered now?" Heero asked with a smile. "Scythe would have kicked their asses."

"No. I'm still glad I didn't. Sorry, Heero but I don't have your competitive streak. I'm happier sitting on the side lines and watching," replied Duo with a grin.

"Come on, then. I think we should get back to Zero and start to get him ready, the course will be open for walking in an hour and I want to start to get him warmed up and settled down."

"Okay," said Duo and followed the other man back to the float and Zero. Duo knew that Heero wanted him to try the show scene, to experience the adrenaline rush and Duo appreciated that. But, the scene wasn't for him, not as a competitor anyway. He was enjoying himself though; simply watching all the activity around him, the different horse and rider combinations was interesting enough for Duo. They arrived back at the float to find that Zero had settled down and almost finished eating his haynet. "What do you want me to do, Heero?"

"You can start by getting me the grooming kit and then Zero's gear out of the car if you don't mind, Duo," Heero said as he began to unbuckle Zero's rug and remove it.

"No problem." Duo went to the car and began to unpack the things Heero had asked for. Yes, Duo definitely preferred being on this side of the fence. 

~ * ~ 

tbc......


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29 

Duo placed the grooming kit on the wheel hub of the float so it would be in easy reach for Heero, then he returned to the car and set about retrieving the saddle and bridle. Heero removed Zero's rug and hung it over the middle partition of the float before picking up a body brush and beginning to brush Zero's already gleaming coat. Once Heero had removed any and all traces of dust and dirt from the horse, he picked up the saddle blanket and saddle from where Duo had put them and placed them on the gray's back. He slid the saddle into place and buckled up the girth.

"Could you get me his jumping boots please?" Heero asked as he smoothed out the wrinkles of skin from under the girth.

"Sure." Duo disappeared back to the car and returned moments later with four jumping boots. "Want a hand to put them on?"

"If you don't mind that would be great."

The pair busied themselves putting on the boots whilst Zero stood relatively still for them. "Good boy," said Heero and gave the horse a pat before reaching for the bridle. He undid the noseband of the halter and slid the top of the halter back along Zero's neck before slipping the reins over Zero's head, taking the crown piece and slipping the bit into Zero's mouth and then pushing the gray ears through the gap between crown piece and browband. Checking that the bit was sitting comfortably, Heero pulled the trapped forelock out from underneath the browband and set it flat over Zero's forehead. He unbuckled the halter and dropped it to the top of the wheel guard then turned Zero around to give himself enough room to mount.

"Here, you're gonna need this."

Heero turned around to see Duo grinning at him and holding out his helmet.

"Thanks." Heero took the helmet and put it on, doing up the chin strap securely. "Could you pass me my whip as well? I'll leave the spurs off for now."

"No problem." Duo fetched the whip whilst Heero mounted. "Where you gonna warm up?" Duo asked as he handed Heero his whip.

Heero looked around the grounds as he checked the stirrups and slipped his feet into them. "Over there for now," he replied. "Once he's loosened up enough I'll take him to the practice jumps and pop him over a couple."

"Right." Duo gazed in the direction Heero had indicated. It was a flat piece of ground where a couple of other horses were also loosening up. Duo began to walk over, intending to find a spot to the side where he could watch and not be in the way.

Heero gathered up his reins and pressed his legs to Zero's sides, asking the horse to walk out. Zero responded and with a spring to his gait, strode over the grounds in the direction his master guided him, ears swiveling and bright eyes taking in the scenes around him.

Zero felt good. His body quivered with excitement, knowing that he was again at a show and most likely going to be jumping. Zero loved to jump; he also liked to show off to all the nice mares and fillies around. He knew he was handsome and showed off a little. His ardor though was soon curbed as his master demanded his attention be returned to the job at hand. Zero switched his mind from the pretty legs of a chestnut mare and concentrated on his master's wishes. There would be time to check out the ladies afterwards.

Duo settled himself underneath a large tree to the side of the area Heero had chosen to warm Zero up in. He leaned against the trunk and folded his arms across his chest, crossing his legs at the ankle and watched as the gray began to walk out and take notice of Heero. Duo's eyes wandered around, taking in the sights of the show grounds. He could understand why Heero loved shows. The hustle and bustle was infectious and set your heart pumping and the adrenaline coursing through your veins. Duo had butterflies in his stomach and he wasn't even competing.

Zero moved into a trot and Duo's eyes continued to follow the gray's action for a moment, noting the even gait. As Heero circled around so Duo's attention wavered to the big bay a young girl was riding. The horse was stocky and had a short stride, the girl on its back was tiny and Duo was awed at the way she could control such a large animal and yet the bay was doing everything she asked of it. Duo was by no means dense when it came to horses, he knew enough about them from his own veterinary experiences to know that they were a strong animal and capable of seriously injuring and possibly killing a human if they got it into their heads to do so.

Most times if someone was injured by a horse though, it wasn't deliberate. Horses were generally quiet animals, willing to please and gentle in their ways. However, when they became frightened or in pain for whatever reason they became a serious danger. They didn't mean to hurt their human friends, it was purely an instinct reaction. Duo mused over how such a strong, large animal could allow a mere wimp of a human to control it. But as Heero had said, horses didn't have the ability to reason and think, they worked on conditioning and training. The key was to ask the horse to do something and make what it was you wanted the animal to do as easy as possible. By making the alternate options difficult and harder then the chances were the horse would respond and take the easy way out - the easy way being what it was you wanted the horse to do. _Something like toddler training,_ Duo thought with a grin.

Duo had quipped back that if it ever came down to a battle of strength between a horse and rider then Duo's money would be on the horse every time.

Zero was now trotting around in a relaxed outline, even Duo could see that the animal was listening and responding to Heero. They truly did look as if they were one being. Duo noticed that he wasn't the only one paying attention to Heero and his horse either. Just off to the side a young woman on a rather compact brown horse was also watching. Duo felt his hackles rise a little as the girl pushed her horse forwards and started to work around the same area that Heero was using.

Heero was too busy concentrating on Zero and how the horse was feeling to take much notice of what was going on around him. He changed rein and gait from time to time, making sure that Zero's muscles were warming up and the horse was becoming suppler. He was aware of the other horses and riders around him and careful not to infringe on their areas as they were careful not to infringe on his. Steadying Zero into his smooth canter, Heero dropped his weight into the saddle and followed the motion of the horse. The gray had a lovely canter, easy to sit to and reminded Heero of being ensconced in a large rocking chair.

After a few more circles, Heero sat down firmer in the saddle and eased back on the reins, Zero immediately responded and slowed his canter, before dropping back to a trot and then a walk. Heero released the reins a little and let the gray stretch his neck out and relax, cooling him a bit before he'd take him over to the practice jumps. Heero became aware of another horse coming along side him and turned to see who it was. A young girl on a compact brown horse rode up beside him and smiled at him. Heero smiled back.

"Nice horse," said the girl.

"Thank you," replied Heero and patted the damp, gray neck.

"You jumping today?"

"Hai. The open AM3. What about you?"

"I'm doing that class too," smiled the girl. She turned her head a little more and raked her eyes over Heero. "I'd better go and pop Trouble here over a few practice jumps, they will be opening the course for walking soon and I want to make sure that I've got in a couple of practice jumps first. Good luck, I'll probably see you in the ring." With that the girl rode off.

Heero watched her go and then turned his attention back to Zero who'd taken advantage of his master's little distraction to become a little lazy in his walk. Heero applied his legs and the gray gave a grunt before putting a little more effort into the pace. Heero looked around for Duo and spotted the vet standing under the tree. Picking up his reins, Heero headed the horse for his boyfriend, noting as he drew closer that Duo's face seemed a little dark.

Watching the girl as she rode alongside Heero and smiled at him, Duo couldn't help but feel uneasy. When the girl started talking and smiling at Heero and Heero returned the smile and chatter, Duo felt himself go numb. He lowered his eyes and berated himself. He shouldn't be feeling jealous of Heero chatting to a girl, Heero had assured him that he was gay; gay, not bi, Duo reminded himself. But it didn't make the green eyed monster any easier to deal with. 

"Can it, Maxwell," he growled under his breath. "Heero can talk to anyone he damn well pleases, just because it happens to be a female, and a very pretty female doesn't mean he's going to take things any further." The words sounded lame even to himself. Duo looked up again to see the girl riding off and Heero coming his way. Taking a deep breath, Duo did his best to throw off the dark cloak of gloom that wanted to shroud him and put on a happy smile.

"You okay, Duo?" Heero asked as he brought Zero to a halt beside the vet.

_Fuck! He'd forgotten just how well Heero could read him. Looked like he'd better try harder to hide his misgivings._ Duo took the green monster by the horns and shoved it to the back of his mind. "I'm fine, Heero. I was watching and concentrating hard on Zero's legs, making sure he keeps moving okay and doesn't show any signs of lameness," he replied, knowing it was partially true and hoping that Heero would accept it.

Heero did. 

"I think he's loosened up enough to pop over a couple of practice fences now; that should give us a clear indication of how he's traveling."

"You're the boss," replied Duo. "Which way to the practice jumps?"

"If I remember correctly, they're over that way, not far from the ring." Heero dismounted and ran his stirrups up before taking the reins over Zero's head. "Ready?"

"Yeah." Duo walked beside his boyfriend, listening to Heero with one ear, his mind on the girl.

***

Zero had taken the practice fences with ease, giving them a disdainful look and tossing his head as if to say 'Am I reduced to these?'. He'd cleared them both by at least a foot and looked very smug. Heero was smiling, happy that Zero was keen and eager, and not showing any signs of soreness. Duo was also happy that Zero appeared to be going so well, but he couldn't completely squash the feeling of jealousy he got every time Heero looked at or acknowledged another competitor. He knew he was being silly, that Heero had promised him that there was no one else; that Heero wanted no one but Duo and Duo believed the accountant, he really did, but he still couldn't help his stomach from lurching every time another person looked Heero's way. Oh, he couldn't blame them, Heero was a very attractive man and Duo could only stew in his own juice, wanting nothing more than to take Heero's hand or kiss him if only to let everyone know that Heero was his. Only problem was he'd probably find himself arrested if he did. The world still had a long way to go before it accepted love between two of the same sex.

The loud speaker interrupted Duo's dark thoughts, announcing that the course was open for walking for the open AM3 jumping class. Heero completed one more practice jump before bringing the horse over to where Duo was standing. 

"Would you mind holding him for me while I walk the course, Duo? If you don't want to, or would like to walk the course with me I can take him back to the float and tie him up."

Duo smiled and was about to say he'd be happy to hold Zero when he saw the girl that Heero had been talking to earlier approaching. His mind changed tack and his eyes narrowed. "Actually, if you don't mind, I'd really like to walk the course with you, Heero. It looks quite interesting and I'd like to know what sort of jumps they are and how you intend to ride the course."

Heero looked a little surprised at Duo's sudden interest but he was also pleased. "Sure, no problem, Duo. Give me a minute to take Zero back and we'll walk it." Heero was about to turn Zero around and head for the float when another horse came to a halt beside him and he looked up to see the girl from earlier standing there.

"Hello again," she said with a smile. "You going to walk the course now?"

"Yes, I am," replied Heero.

"Good. So am I if I can get someone to hold Trouble for me." The girl looked at Duo then back at Heero. "Do you think your groom would mind holding him for me whilst I walk the course?"

Duo's jaw nearly hit the floor, Heero's wasn't far behind as the girl's request sank in. One look at Duo's face though and Heero, being the smart accountant that he was, put two and two together and came up with three; and three was one too many if he was reading Duo's signals right. "Ah. Firstly, Duo here isn't my groom, he's my good friend; secondly, he's walking the course with me as I value his opinion so I will be tying Zero up to the float; sorry."

"No problem." The girl couldn't disguise the disappointment in her voice, nor the look of disgust she gave Duo. "I'll see if I can't find someone else to hold him so I can walk the course." With one last look down her nose at Duo, the girl turned her horse and rode off.

Duo was fuming. How dare that girl refer to him as a groom and expect him to hold her horse for her so she could walk the course with Heero and try to chat him up! Not normally one given to malice of any kind, Duo couldn't help but wish the girl's horse would buck her off or something.

Heero returned his attention to his boyfriend and couldn't help the snicker as he dismounted. "Come on, Duo. Let's get Zero tied up so I can walk the course. If I don't move my butt it will be closed shortly and I won't have a clue as to what line or track to follow."

Duo's gaze flickered back to his boyfriend. "Huh?"

Heero chuckled. "I do believe you're jealous," he stated as they began to walk back to the float.

"I'm not!" growled Duo as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Yes, you are," teased Heero.

"Am not," scowled Duo. "I'm just wary of strangers, especially female ones; ones that want me to hold their horse for them so that they can walk the course with my boyfriend," he added under his breath.

Heero caught the muttered words and snickered to himself, he opted to keep quiet though and not tease Duo any more.

They reached the float and Heero tied Zero up, removing the bridle and loosening the girth before tossing the rug over the horse to keep him warm. Duo was inside the float, hanging up the bridle and Heero ducked inside to join him, making sure that no one would be able to see them for a moment. He quickly grabbed Duo around the waist, spun the vet around and kissed him soundly. "I've been wanting to do that for the past couple of hours," Heero murmured.

"Heero! Not that I'm complaining or anything, but what if someone should see us?"

"Don't care," replied Heero and stole another kiss. "You have nothing to be jealous about, Duo. I'm gay and not in the least bit interested in that girl or any other for that matter. Although I am flattered that you would be jealous."

Duo tossed his head back and laughed, his jealousy vanishing. "I know, Heero, and I don't doubt your intentions for a minute. I can't help myself though, it's so damn unfair that I can't express my love for you in public like hetro couples can."

"I agree. It isn't fair, but there isn't much we can do about it, Duo."

"You're right," sighed Duo and then poked Heero in the ribs. "Come on, you'd better get this course walked."

***

Duo stood and looked at the sea of poles before him. He blinked and then looked again. "You're telling me that you're supposed to jump that?" he said pointing at the jump. It looked solid and formidable to Duo, an endless pile of brightly colored red and blue poles that seemed to go up forever.

"Hai. It's not that hard a fence, Duo. In fact it's quite a good one."

"Good one? How the fuck to do figure that?"

Heero chuckled. "Although it might look intimidating with the number of poles in it it's actually very good. Being as how it gives the appearance of a solid fence so to speak, the horse can gauge the height of it a lot easier. It has what we call a good and definite ground line."

"What the hell is a ground line?" Duo turned his head from side to side as he studied the fence. He was damned if he could see any line on the ground.

"The horse looks at the fence and with the poles the way they are he can see where the ground is as compared to the bottom and top rail, it sort of draws an invisible line for the horse and they can see how high they need to jump. It gets tricky when the course designer puts in fences with false ground lines or jumps with hardly any filling; those are really hard for the horse to negotiate."

"I'll take your word for it, Heero."

They moved on around the course together, Heero pacing out the distance between the two elements of the double fence, working out how many strides Zero would take after landing over the first element and then jumping the second, walking the course the way he intended to ride it. Most of the fences looked pretty high to Duo and he couldn't help the shiver of apprehension from running down his spine as he gazed around at the various jumps. "All I can say is I'm glad it's you and Zero that's jumping these, Heero. I think I would have fallen off at the mere thought."

"Actually, they're not all that high or hard, Duo. Zero should be able to handle it okay. The course designer has set a nice, flowing course, one that you can ride fairly easily. The questions appear to be asked in the jump off."

"Explain and define your logic, Heero," Duo said as he eyed the brick wall.

"There's lots of room allowed between obstacles in the first round. Out of all the fences here I'd say that the oxer is about the most difficult fence as you come off a right hand circle and need to turn left to jump it. That means getting the horse to change leading legs after landing and then you only have five strides to get him balanced again before the take off for the oxer, could be tricky if your horse doesn't want to listen to the rider."

Duo still looked mystified but gave Heero the benefit of the doubt. He guessed he would understand it clearer once he'd watched a few horses go around the course.

"The jump off is harder. The way the jump off is designed the course builder has left the rider with options. By that I mean you can take a longer route around the shorter course and pretty much go clear, but you will have a slower time; or you can take the short cuts, run the risk of getting faults but you will also get a much faster time."

"What would you do, Heero?"

"I think I'd wait and see if I go clear in the first round. If I do then I will decide whether to play it safe or go for broke. It also depends on how Zero pulls up after the first round."

"Now that's logic I can understand," replied Duo with a grin. "You sure you can remember your way around this course? It all looks pretty baffling to me, I know I would get lost, in fact I am lost and I'm not even jumping!"

Heero laughed. "It's not that hard to remember. All the jumps are numbered anyway and I tend to remember them by either the type of jump or the color of the poles."

"Smart thinking."

"Okay, let's see," said Heero as he paused and looked back over the course. "One is the cross rail; two, the pink upright; three, the spread; four, the off set rails; five, a: spread b: upright; six, the oxer; seven, the wall; eight, the hay bales; nine, the gate; ten, the black and white fan, and eleven, the barrels."

Duo's eyes followed Heero's recital, noting each of the jumps as Heero rattled them off. "What about those flags?"

"Start and finish. You have to pass through them with the red one on your right and the white on your left. The time starts from when you cross between the start flags and finishes when you go through the finish flags."

"Ah. I think I'm starting to get it a bit more now," said Duo.

"Well, I'm done here so I think I will go back to Zero and walk him around a bit so his muscles don't get cold. They will be starting in about five minutes and there's twenty entered. I'm eighth to go so I'd say I will be needed in roughly half an hour." Heero began to leave the ring, Duo beside him.

As they were leaving so Duo caught sight of the girl from earlier out the corner of his eye. He couldn't help but notice how her eyes traveled over Heero's body. Duo scowled slightly and resisted the urge to poke his tongue out at her; instead he gave a wicked grin, brushed his hand lightly over Heero's ass and gave her a wink. Duo left the ring with a satisfied look on his face. He didn't think that girl would try a second time to chat Heero up.

***

"You sure you can remember the course?"

"Hai."

"You want me to check your girth again?"

"No. It's tight enough, thanks."

"What about Zero's jumping boots?"

"Duo... Zero and I are both fine. Why don't you go find yourself somewhere ringside to sit and watch?" Heero gave his boyfriend a warm, reassuring smile.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I should go and find somewhere to sit and watch. I'm acting like a mother hen, aren't I?" sighed Duo and gave Heero a rueful grin. "Sorry."

"No need to apologize, Duo. I have done this several times before and we will be okay, I assure you." Heero did his best to put Duo at ease. Heero actually found the entire scene rather endearing. Duo was visibly agitated, concerned for Heero and Zero's welfare. The way the braided vet was carrying on you would think Heero was about to be dragged before the Spanish inquisition. Heero didn't need to feel nervous, Duo was doing enough of that for the both of them. 

"Okay, I'm going to find somewhere to sit and watch. Good luck." Duo squeezed Heero's knee. He'd much rather have given the rider a kiss but that was out of the question so the small gesture would have to suffice. He patted Zero's neck and whispered to the horse, "Look after him, Zero."

"Thanks, Duo," Heero said softly and watched as his boyfriend left the area where the competitors were waiting for their turn in the ring. Heero had two more to go before his turn and he began to walk Zero around. The gray trembled slightly beneath him, knowing he would be jumping very soon and eager to start. Heero ran a soothing hand along the sweaty neck, calming the horse a little. He'd watched a few of the other riders complete their rounds and so far only two had gone clear. The oxer had proven Heero right when he'd said it would be the problem jump on the course, having taken out five riders with faults already. Heero was determined to have Zero well and truly listening to him when he approached that fence.

The thunder of applause greeted his ears and Heero turned to see a chestnut horse leaving the ring, a wide smile on its rider's face as the loudspeaker announced another clear round.

"Number fifty-five?" called the gate marshal.

Heero rode over. "I'm fifty-five,” he said quietly.

"Good. You're next, so don't go away."

"Right." Heero let the horse stand and relax as he watched the competitor before him suffer a refusal at the wall. The horse went over at the second attempt but Heero could see that the animal was flustered and it showed when the horse brought the gate crashing down. 

"Eight faults," stated the loudspeaker.

"Fifty-five? Okay, you're in." The gate marshal opened the gate to allow the current rider to exit and Heero to enter. 

Heero had noted where the judge was sitting and rode towards the man. He halted Zero, removed his helmet and nodded his head to salute the judge. The judge returned the nod, waited for Heero to secure his helmet again and collect his reins before blowing his whistle, indicating that Heero had forty-five seconds in which to commence his course.

Quivering with anticipation, Zero gave a snort and then jumped a little as the whistle blew. He felt his master tighten the grip on the reins and touch his sides with the spurs. Zero moved off into a trot and then canter, letting his master guide him and eyeing off the various fences as he passed them.

Heero's concentration narrowed to the horse beneath him and the course to be jumped, all other thoughts were shoved out of his mind as he focused solely on the task ahead. He circled at the canter, settling Zero into his stride and then turning to pass between the start flags and head for the first fence.

The cross bar appeared ahead of them and Zero gave a soft grunt as he cleared it, swishing his tail and tossing his head as if in disgust at the size of the fence.

"Steady, my son," muttered Heero. "There's much bigger ones to come so don't go getting too cocky." Heero allowed his fingers to quickly scratch the gray neck, a way he and the horse had of communicating when they jumped. Zero's shoulder muscle rippled by way of acknowledgment and they bore down on the second fence. Zero jumped it easily, ears cocked and looking for the next one.

The small spread and off set rails were nothing to the big gray and Heero found them coming in to the double. Remembering that the oxer followed the double and the need to have his horse completely listening to him, Heero dropped his weight a little more into his saddle, took a slightly firmer contact with Zero's mouth and applied his legs to drive Zero's hocks underneath his body and thus have the energy of the horse exactly where he needed it.

Zero bounded into the first element of the double, eyed it up and with a whisk of his tail, flew over it. He landed, took another stride and gathered himself together to spring into the air and clear the second element. Immediately he landed, Zero felt his master's weight shift, asking him to re-balance. Zero shortened his stride and changed his leading canter leg as Heero's aids asked him to. His hindquarters came further underneath his body as his stride became more elevated due to the concentration of energy. Then Zero saw the reason for the change of pace. The fence loomed up in front of him and Zero gathered himself together, gauging his take off point and then with his master's legs urging him on, Zero lengthened out, one stride, two strides and with the third he pushed his body up from the ground, tucking his forelegs neatly underneath as he became airborne. Those same forelegs extended out as the inevitable return to earth approached, Zero taking his full weight and his master's onto them and then as his hind legs touched down so he grunted and pushed away from the fence.

Heero began to relax and enjoy himself. He'd missed this, missed the feeling of adrenaline coursing through his veins, missed the feeling of the wind in his face, the power of the animal beneath him and the sheer joy of jumping. The way Zero was going told Heero that the horse was just as happy as himself to be out there competing again. The wall loomed ahead and Heero rode the gray in a straight line, clearing it with inches to spare. The hay bales, gate and fan jump were all similarly jumped and now only the barrels remained. Checking back slightly, Heero then gave Zero the rein he needed and urged the horse on. Zero cocked his ears and sprang into the air, sailing over the fence and heading through the finish flags, nostrils flared and looking as if he could easily go several more rounds.

"Clear round," stated the loudspeaker as Heero left the arena, patting the gray enthusiastically.

As soon as he got back to the collecting ring, Heero was inundated with congratulations and well wishes of his fellow competitors. He thanked them and rode off to the side, his eyes scanning the crowd for the one person he longed to see. He spotted the chestnut head first and then the rest of Duo's body as the vet pushed his way through the crowd, eager to see Heero and congratulate him. He also wanted to check Zero's leg and carried a pocket full of carrots for his charge.

Heero dismounted and ran up his stirrups whilst he waited for Duo to squeeze through the crowd to him. A hand on his shoulder told him of his boyfriend's arrival and he turned around to stare into sparkling violet.

"Well done, Heero! A clear round. I guess that means you're into the jump off then?" All Duo really wanted to do was throw his arms around the accountant, hug and kiss him senseless. Duo's heart was still racing, he felt as if he'd ridden every inch of that course with Heero.

"Hai. The jump off won't be for a little while though so we might as well take Zero back to the float and tie him up for a bit."

"Sounds good to me," replied Duo. "I can give his leg a check over then and make sure it's holding up okay. But first I think he deserves this." Duo reached into his pocket and pulled out a carrot.

Zero wuffled in delight and took the offered carrot, crunching it eagerly.

Heero laughed. "Thanks, Duo."

***

Six riders had clear rounds including Heero and now those six were waiting in the collecting ring for their turn to complete the jump off. Much to Duo's delight the girl that had been chatting Heero up earlier had been eliminated from the competition, her horse having given her two refusals at the oxer. Seeing as how there wasn't so many horses and riders now waiting in the collecting ring, Duo decided to watch the jump off from there, that way he could be as close to the action as possible and be readily available should Heero or Zero need him. Duo glanced over as Heero was trotting the gray around in circles, loosening him up before his turn came. Duo was amazed at how calm Heero seemed to be, Duo's stomach felt as if it had a hive of bees in it and he was so nervous that he'd started to bite his fingernails. He mentally thwapped himself for being so nervous, this was just a small show and really just a test to see if Zero's leg would stand up to the competition. If this is how he was reacting to a small show, what the fuck would he be like if Heero did make it into the big time? If Heero did break into the big time then Duo thought he'd be better off staying at home and not watching! At this rate he was going to bite his fingernails back to his elbows.

A groan went up from the crowd and Duo's attention, along with everyone else's, was drawn back to the ring where the current competitor had knocked down the oxer in their haste to shave a few seconds off the time to beat. Inwardly Duo cheered, although he knew that wasn't the right thing to do.

"Fifty-five?"

Heero rode up to the gate marshal "I'm here."

"Right. There's the chestnut to go next and then you."

"Arigato." Heero turned Zero to the side and let the horse stand. His eyes watched the current competitor in the ring as they started out fast.

"They're going to pick up a fast time," Duo remarked as he moved across to stand next to Heero and the horse.

"If she doesn't steady back, that horse is going to flatten and knock something down," replied Heero as his experienced eye tracked the horse in the ring.

"Flatten?" questioned Duo as his mind supplied him with a horse having been squashed flat by a steam roller. He snickered at the image.

"It means the horse will run out of impulsion, energy and when it needs it to get over the jump it won't have it where it needs it the most and consequently will either trail its hocks or catch the fence with a fore leg. There, told you," smirked Heero as the chestnut sent the poles on the second part of the double flying in all directions. The horse and rider seemed to go to pieces after that and knocked down the remaining three fences as well. "Bad luck," said Heero to the rider as the woman and her horse exited the ring.

"Thanks. It was all my fault," she replied. "Poor Sandman didn't stand a chance after the double. Watch it out there; it's pretty tight if you take the short cuts."

"Thanks for the warning," replied Heero and then gathered his reins up. "Our turn, Zero," he said to the horse.

"Good luck, Heero. Be safe," said Duo with a warm smile and added silently, "Love you."

Heero flashed his boyfriend a brilliant smile and rode into the ring. This was it; this would be the test of Zero's leg. Heero had his course planned out in his mind, where he would take the shortcuts and save precious seconds and where he would give Zero the room he would need to turn and clear the fences. He approached the judge and saluted, ramming his helmet tightly onto his head and shortening his reins as he waited for the whistle to blow.

In the collecting ring, Duo was shifting uneasily from one foot to the other, trying not to bite his fingernails anymore as he didn't have much left. His heart was hammering in his chest as he heard the whistle blow and watched Heero's serious expression as he cantered past on Zero, eyes fixed firmly ahead and on the start flags. 

The fences that had been selected for the jump off were numbers one, five a and b, six, nine and eleven. Duo knew that the first fence, the cross bar wouldn't provide any difficulty to Zero, it was the double followed by the oxer that had Duo worried. The fence had been a difficult one to negotiate in the first round, now in the second it had been raised by four inches in height, all the fences had gone up and the gate now stood at four feet two inches.

Heero passed through the start flags and the timer started counting down the seconds.

Duo suddenly felt sick.

"This is the one that really counts, Zero," Heero told the horse as they approached the start flags. He took a slightly firmer contact with his reins and drove Zero together with his seat and legs, the horse giving a grunt of acknowledgment. Then they were between the flags and on their way.

The first fence was but a blur to Heero. He set a steady pace and began to increase it as they bore down on the double. Five strides out and Heero half halted his horse, checking the speed and re-balancing before driving Zero on with his legs. Zero bounded forward, collected himself together and jumped, clearing the first element of the double easily. He landed, took a stride and leapt into the air again.

Whilst Zero was in mid air, Heero shifted his weight slightly to the left and as a consequence, when Zero came thudding back to earth, he picked up the left canter lead and was able to save precious seconds by not having to change his stride. His master's legs were pushing at him, driving him together and three strides later Zero was propelling his body upwards again and over the intimidating oxer. They cleared the fence, Heero applying the brakes to Zero who propped a little, regained his balance and digging his hooves into the ground, spun on his haunches then once again was moving forwards.

Duo's heart was in his mouth as he watched Heero and the horse land over the oxer then Heero literally spun Zero around to the right, ducked between the wings of fences three and four to bring himself perfectly lined up for fence nine; the gate. "Bastard," muttered Duo under his breath, annoyed that Heero had caused him to almost panic with the sharpness of the turn.

Zero's ears cocked as he spotted the gate and almost pulling the reins out of Heero's fingers, he charged at it, throwing himself into the air and clearing it easily.

"Easy, Zero," growled Heero as he regained the rein he'd lost. The last fence, the barrels loomed ahead and Heero did his best to keep Zero together. The horse was pulling, eager to jump and not so eager to listen to his master. "Steady, that's it, nice and easy," Heero said to his horse.

Zero's ears flicked back and forth, listening to his master's voice. He eyed up the fence and lengthened his stride, taking off beautifully and clearing the fence. As he landed, Zero felt his master urge him on, pushing him faster and Zero snorted, keen to obey. 

Landing safely over the last fence, Heero gave the gray the rein to stretch out and pushed hard with his legs, encouraging Zero to gallop through the flags. Zero responded and as they crossed through the finish flags so Heero took a look at the electronic timer. 35.67 stared back at him and Heero gave a huge grin. He began to check Zero back, slowing the horse which was reluctant to come back to hand at first but obeying eventually, Heero aimed for the gate and exit from the ring, passing the next rider on his way and wishing them luck.

"Clear round in a time of 35.67 seconds. That is the time to beat."

Entering the collecting ring again, Heero hardly had time to bring the gray to a halt before Duo was jumping up and down beside them and stuffing Zero with carrots. 

"That was great, Heero. Oh, Zero. You were such a good boy," Duo enthused as he smothered the gray in pats.

Zero wuffled as if to say 'Aren't I always?' and then proceeded to beg for more carrots, carrots that the nice human was only too happy to give him. Zero felt very pleased with himself.

"I'm sure you've won, Heero," Duo stated as his boyfriend dismounted and ran up his stirrups then loosened Zero's girth.

"Don't be too certain, Duo," replied Heero. "There's still another two competitors to go and as they say, it's not over until the fat lady sings."

Duo gave an evil chuckle. "Shall I go over there then and ask that lady to start singing?"

Heero's eyes opened impossibly wide with Duo's words and he looked over to where Duo was indicating. A rather rotund woman was sitting on an equally round horse.

"You do and I'll rig Fido to blow and not suck," threatened Heero, referring to Duo's faithful vacuum cleaner.

"Ohh... A vaccy that blows, hey?" Duo's eyebrows gave a suggestive wiggle.

"You're impossible," returned Heero with a shake of his head and then abruptly jerked around to look at what was happening in the ring as he heard a gasp from the crowd.

The current competitor was trying to emulate Heero's round but unfortunately his horse wasn't as well balanced or supple as Zero had been and he couldn't make the turn from the oxer to the gate. The horse ducked out to the side before being brought back around to face the fence again, clearing it on the second attempt. But the damage was done.

"Four faults and a time of 56.96," the loudspeaker announced.

"Last competitor," muttered Heero as he turned to watch a rangy looking bay horse enter the ring.

"Want me to walk Zero around for you whilst you watch the last round, Heero?" Duo asked. "I don't think he should be standing still for too long as he'll go cold."

"Would you mind?" replied Heero. Usually he walked Zero around himself whilst still on his back to cool the horse off but with having Duo at the show as well Heero didn't want to appear impolite and so had dismounted.

"I don't mind at all. Actually I'd prefer the distraction, the watching and waiting is kind of getting to me." Duo gave his boyfriend a rueful grin.

"Okay. Thanks."

Duo took the reins from Heero and began to walk around, Zero following amicably at his side, eyes wandering over the mares and fillies still on the show grounds. Despite his nervousness about the competition still in progress, Duo couldn't help his eyes wandering back to the ring and how the other rider was doing.

The other rider had set a very fast pace as he started his round and it was obvious to even Duo's inexperienced eye that this combination weren't like the others. There was a harmony and balance between this horse and its rider too, very similar to what Heero had with Zero. The knot of fear in Duo's stomach grew as he continued to watch. Gradually he found himself drawn back to where Heero still stood, watching from the ring side, despite his intentions of walking the horse, Duo couldn't help himself, he needed to stand next to his boyfriend and offer support.

Heero turned and gave Duo a tight smile as the vet and his horse came to a halt beside him. "They're doing well," Heero stated.

"Yes, they are," replied Duo as he watched the bay land over the second element of the double, turn and then gather himself for the spring over the oxer. He cleared the oxer and Duo's teeth ground together as he watched the bay's haunches strain with the effort of turning sharply. The bay made the turn, lengthened stride and leapt over the gate before flying towards the final obstacle.

Duo took his eyes off the combination for a second to look at the electronic timer busily counting down the seconds. He began to chew his bottom lip. It was going to be close, very close.

Heero's eyes were flitting between the timer and the horse in the ring. His stomach was churning as he watched the bay take the barrels and then sprint for the finish flags. The horse shot through the flags, his rider urging him on and Heero's gaze shifted to the electronic time clock to see what numbers were registered there…

~ * ~ 

tbc...


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30 

Heero's eyes stared at the clock, the red numbers slowly registering in his mind. He blinked and looked again. They hadn't changed. 35.65. The bay and his rider had beaten Zero by two hundredths of a second. Heero didn't feel disappointed though, on the contrary, he felt happy.

"Well, that's gotta suck," said Duo, drawing Heero out of his thoughts.

The blue eyed man turned to look at his boyfriend. "It's not that bad, Duo. Coming in second is far better than I'd hoped for. To be honest I was just hoping that Zero's leg would be able to take the pressure of competition again and finish sound; having placed second is a real bonus." Heero turned to pat the gray. "You were fantastic, Zero, nothing to be ashamed of at all."

"Fifty-five?" called the gate marshal and Heero looked up.

"Hai?"

"Come on, you need to mount up and go in for the presentation."

"Shit!" Heero scrambled to tighten Zero's girth whilst Duo slipped the reins back over the gray's head and pulled the stirrup down on the opposite side. Heero swung himself into the saddle and collected his reins and wits before thanking Duo and making his way to the gate to stand next to the bay who had won.

The gate marshal opened the gate and they began to ride into the ring for the presentation. They halted before the judge, standing side by side from first place down to fourth, leaving enough room between their horses for the judge to step between. The judge took the blue rosette from his assistant and clipped it to the bridle of the bay, exchanging a few words with the rider as he handed the winner an envelope. Stepping back he approached Heero next and affixed the red rosette to Zero's bridle then turned to Heero and shook his hand, offering Heero an envelope as well. 

"That's a very nice horse you have there and a brilliant round. I haven't seen a jump off so close and so well ridden in a long time. I hope to see more of you," said the judge as he shook Heero's hand.

"Thank you. We're only just getting back out after having had a bad fall a few months back."

"Well, good luck. You have talent there."

Heero gave a smile and patted Zero's neck, making a fuss of the horse.

"Nice animal," said the man on the bay who'd won. "I didn't think I'd bettered you, you set a cracker of a time to beat!"

Heero laughed. "Not quite fast enough though. Congratulations."

"Thanks. Congratulations to you too. I haven't seen you around before. New to the game?"

"No. I've been competing for a while but we had a bad fall a few months back at an Ag show, put Zero out of action for a while. This show was more or less his debut to see how he copes after the accident."

"Looks like he's coping well," chuckled the other man.

"I'll know for sure come tomorrow once he's had a chance to feel the stress and strain," returned Heero.

"Well I wish you all the best. Hopefully I will see you around the shows a bit. By the way, my name is Treize, Treize Kushrenada."

"Heero, Heero Yuy." Heero's mind was ticking over, he recalled the name Kushrenada but couldn't think where from at the moment.

"Nice to meet you, Heero. I think that's our cue to leave," the man said and nodded in the direction of the judge who had stepped back from placing the rosette on the fourth place getter and was signaling for them to do their lap of honor.

Heero collected up his reins and urged Zero forwards into trot and then canter, following Treize and his bay around the ring and then exiting.

"See you around, Heero," said Treize as he waved and then rode off.

"You too," replied Heero and turned to find Duo standing at Zero's shoulder.

"Making friends with the opposition?" teased Duo.

Heero smiled as he dismounted. "He seems a pretty nice guy and has a good horse," replied Heero. "I'm sure I've seen or heard of him before, the name rings a bell, but I can't think why at the moment."

"I'm sure it will come to you eventually, Heero."

"Come on, let's take Zero back to the float, pack up and go home," said Heero as he began to turn and leave the ring.

"What's in the envelope?" Duo asked as they started to walk back to the float.

"Don't know," replied Heero. He'd forgotten about the envelope that was tucked into his jacket pocket. With Duo's question he fished it out and handed it to the vet. "Want to open it for me?"

Duo grinned. "Sure," he said and took the envelope, ripping the end open and ferreting inside. "Ohh... Nice."

"What is it?"

"A feed voucher for twenty dollars," said Duo as he handed the voucher to Heero to take a look.

"Zero's earned his carrots for a couple of weeks then," chuckled Heero as he passed the voucher back. "I didn't recall them saying there were prizes on the program."

"I wouldn't knock it, Heero. The way this animal puts away carrots you're in need of every bit of financial assistance you can get," snickered Duo.

"True," returned Heero good naturedly. They arrived at the float and between the two of them they got Zero unsaddled, rugged and ready for the trip home. 

Duo packed away the stuff into the back of the car, complaining loudly as he did so. "How come all this shit fits in neatly when you load up to go to a show and yet it doesn't want to go back in to go home?"

"That's the secret of show competing," said Heero in a serious tone.

"Huh? What the hell are you going on about, Heero?"

"The gear. If you don't keep your eye on it, it tends to multiply… breed out of control so you can barely stuff it all back into the car," whispered Heero and then glanced around. "It's a known fact, Duo."

Duo rolled his eyes. "Of all the times for you to get a sense of humor. Idiot!" Duo swatted his boyfriend on the ass.

Heero grinned. "Seriously though, I don't know why it is but you have less when packing up to go home but it seems to take up twice the room."

"I blame Murphy," replied Duo as he squashed the grooming kit inbetween the water bucket and saddle and managed to get the boot to close.

"Murphy?"

"Yeah, Murphy's law. Don't tell me you haven't heard of it, Heero?" The look on Heero's face was enough to convince Duo that the accountant hadn't. "Sheesh, you must have had a deprived childhood. Murphy; he was an Irishman and his law states 'Anything that can go wrong, will', or something like that."

"Ahh."

"I can see we have some serious educating to do here."

"Right now all I want to do is navigate home, get Zero settled and then soak in a warm bath tub. Once I'm in the tub you can feel free to educate me any way you want," returned Heero with a lusty grin.

"Mmmm... I might have to see what I can do about that. What are you waiting for then? Let's get Zero on the float and go home. I need some serious snuggle time to make up for today's lack of it."

Heero untied Zero and quickly loaded him onto the float. With the tail gate secured the pair got into the car and left the show grounds, the red rosette hanging proudly from the rear vision mirror.

***

Heero lay back in the tub and gave a soft moan of bliss. The horses had been fed and tucked in for the night, Scythe having been more than happy at their return and Duo had to make quite a fuss of the mare to make up for leaving her alone all day. The car had been unloaded and the gear put away, the float parked, cleaned out and unhitched ready for the next time. Duo had made them both a strong cup of coffee whilst Heero had dealt with his boots that appeared to want to stay connected to his feet and legs. The casserole that they had left in the slow cooker that morning was done so they didn't have to worry about cooking, dinner was all ready for them whenever they were ready to eat it. For now though, Heero was content to simply lie back in the bath tub and enjoy the soothing properties of the hot water against his tired muscles.

Duo had checked Zero's leg once they'd arrived back home and aside from a little heat found nothing to cause any worry. Duo had applied the liniment and bandaged Zero's leg just to be on the safe side. Tomorrow would be the real test. Overnight the muscles would have a chance to stiffen up so if there was going to be any problem with the leg it would be sure to show in the morning. Heero had just closed his eyes when he heard the bathroom door open.

"Starting without me?" came the soft voice.

Heero opened his eyes to see Duo standing in the doorway. "Going to join me?"

"If you want me to," replied Duo with a grin.

"I need someone to wash my back," returned Heero with a smirk.

"Oh, so that's all I am, a back washer?" Duo began to remove his clothing and climbed into the tub with Heero.

Heero shifted a little so Duo could settle between his legs and then pulled the vet back towards his chest, Duo laying his head on Heero's shoulder.

"Mmmm... This is nice," murmured Duo as the heat of the water sank into his skin. He'd pinned his braid up on the top of his head to avoid the mass getting wet and that left his neck bare.

Not one to pass up an opportunity, Heero began to nuzzle at the creamy throat, pressing small kisses to the skin and causing Duo to shiver. "Enjoy yourself today?"

"Yes, I did. Thanks for taking me."

"My pleasure. I hope you come to more shows with me. You're my good luck charm."

"I'd love to come to as many as I can, Heero. Depends on the practice though," replied Duo as his eyes slid shut, enjoying the attention Heero was paying to his neck. "Besides, I need to keep an eye on you."

"Pardon?" Heero paused in his ministrations.

"You know, rescue you from the hoards of females," snickered Duo.

Heero shook his head. "I've already told you I'm not interested in women, Duo."

"I know that and you know that; but they don't." Duo did his best not to laugh as he caught Heero's expression from the corner of his eye.

"You suggest I walk around with a sign saying 'I'm gay and taken'? Think that would have the desired effect of keeping the females at bay?" retorted Heero.

"The only effect that would have would to land your ass in jail, and then what would I do?"

"So, the truth is out then?"

"Huh?"

"You only want me for my ass."

"Oh, not just your ass. There's a small matter of your computer and accountancy skills, not to mention it would cost me a fortune to hire a receptionist-come-vet nurse to replace you," teased Duo.

"I knew it, I'm nothing but a slave; a cheap source of labor," said Heero in a feigned, hurt tone.

"Hmmm. Slave? Now that has potential," snickered Duo. "I suggest you start calling me Master, Heero."

"Master Heero? But I thought your name was Duo."

The water sloshed in the tub as Duo turned and gave Heero a friendly punch. "Idiot!"

Heero laughed and picked up the wash cloth, soaping it up and proceeding to wash both himself and Duo off.

***

The television was flickering, the pair on the couch snuggled up together watching an episode of Star Trek. Zero's red rosette hung on the wall, Duo insisting that they put it on display and not hide it away in Heero's room as the accountant had intended. The empty dinner dishes sat on the coffee table along with the two half full mugs of hot chocolate. Both men were tired from their day out; Heero from the physical aspect and Duo from the emotional.

Duo's eyes were beginning to slide shut, even though it was only nine o'clock. He was comfortable in a pair of flannelette pajamas and currently cuddled against Heero's side, the other man's arm draped over his shoulder whilst Duo's right arm had slipped behind Heero's waist and his left was resting on Heero's thigh. The warmth from Heero's body was comforting and aiding Duo's body as it began to slide towards sleep. Suddenly Duo was dragged from his state of suspended animation as Heero jerked and stiffened.

"That's who he is!"

"Shit! Gimme a heart attack, why don't you?" Duo grumbled as he tried to settle his racing heart and calm himself down after jumping almost completely off the couch in fright.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, Duo," replied Heero and dropped an apologetic kiss to the vet's head.

"What the heck are you going on about anyway?" said Duo as he tried to cuddle again, only to have Heero shift away slightly so they could make eye contact. Duo wasn't impressed at losing his snuggle toy.

"That guy."

"What guy?" Duo sighed and then resigned himself to not enjoying anymore contact with his human teddy bear for a while.

"The guy that beat Zero and I today. I knew his face and name were familiar but I couldn't think where from. Now I remember," said Heero in an excited tone.

"Gonna share or do I have to play twenty questions?"

"Sorry. The guy said his name was Treize, Treize Khushrenada."

"So? I wouldn't know him from a bar of soap, his name doesn't ring any bells to me. Is he a client of ours?"

Heero snorted. "No, he isn't. He doesn't come from around here, he lives closer to the city."

"And?" Duo prompted.

"He's quite well off."

"What's that got to do with the price of eggs? Fuck. You have got me playing twenty questions after all. Geeze, Heero, will you just spill already, at least whilst I still have all my faculties and no gray hair?"

Heero chuckled. "I don't think gray hairs would be game to invade this gorgeous mop of hair you have."

"You'd be surprised and you're getting off topic again. Who is this guy and why is he so important?"

"Treize Khushrenada owns one of the largest string of showjumpers in the country. He's known for buying or breeding quality animals and training them up to become champions. He jumps most of the horses himself as he gets them going, taking them to the smaller shows to gain experience and stuff; once they start to make it through the grades he hands them over to whomever he has in his employ as his riders at the time and they take them through the rest of the grades. He's had a few make it to the Olympic short list and a couple were in the Nations Cup team a couple of years ago." Heero had a glassy look in his eye. "To have Khushrenada employ you to ride his horses is an honor."

Duo shifted, a little uncomfortable at the revelation. "I take it you would be keen to ride for him?"

"Fuck, yes! Anyone in their right mind would love to ride for the Khushrenada stable. It's the chance of a lifetime. You can learn so much from the man as well as get to ride top horses. Did you know he was an Olympic silver medalist himself a few years ago?"

"No, I didn't." Duo's quiet tone went unheeded by Heero for a moment.

"If you can get noticed and employed by him then you have no idea of the doors that will open for the serious competitor."

"Ah." Duo turned his attention back to the television, even thought he wasn't remotely interested in it any longer.

Heero returned from his mind wanderings long enough to note that Duo wasn't cuddled up to him anymore and that the vet seemed a little... cool? Then Heero realized what he'd said and the effect that must have had on Duo; he mentally kicked himself. "Duo?" he asked . "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Look, I know what I've just said must be a bit of a shock to you, Duo, and I did mean it when I said it would be an honor to be able to ride for the Khushrenada stable and I know I would love to do something like that; but..." Heero shifted and touched his fingers to Duo's cheek. "Firstly, I'm not good enough and secondly, if it meant I would have to give you up then I'm afraid I'd rather remain a second rate rider."

Duo turned his head so he could see Heero's eyes. "No. I wouldn't expect you to give up an opportunity like that if it should come your way. You promise me that if it does you will take it, Heero."

Seeing the determination in Duo's eyes, Heero swallowed and chose his words carefully. "I can't say that I wouldn't be tempted, Duo. However, I wouldn't simply jump in, I'd want to know all the in's and out's first. Anyway, it's never going to happen so let's not worry about it, okay?" Heero bent to kiss the tip of Duo's nose.

Duo still wasn't convinced. Any fool could see that Heero was a talented rider and deserved the best chances he could get and Duo didn't want to find that ten years down the track Heero had given up the chance to become famous because he'd felt obligated to stay with Duo. But Duo could also see the determination in Heero's face and knew better than to argue the point. "Okay, let's see what happens. But, if the chance should arise I want you to tell me and consider it completely, not just turn it down because of me; I'd never forgive myself if you were to do that, Heero."

"I promise that if I do get approached by a large stable to ride for them, whether it be Khushrenada's or another stable, I will let you know and we will go into all the nitty-gritty stuff together before making a final decision."

Duo smiled. "That's better." He raised his head and kissed Heero soundly.

"Aishiteru, Duo."

"Aishiteru to you too, Heero."

Heero's eyes widened a little. Duo chuckled. "I did a little research," he explained. "I know what it means now and I love you too, Heero."

Heero's heart warmed with the thought that Duo cared enough to find out a little of Heero's native language and he showed his appreciation by claiming Duo's lips in a torrid kiss.

"Come on, I think we both need to go to bed and get some rest. I'm exhausted and I wasn't the one riding so I can imagine how you feel," said Duo softly as he reached for the remote and turned off the television.

"I'll just grab the dishes and wash up," replied Heero.

"No, you won't. Leave them, Heero. I'll pop them in the sink and they can soak overnight. I'll wash them in the morning, we've both had a busy day so they can wait."

"Okay." Heero gave a soft smile and stretched before standing up and making his way to his bedroom.

***

The following day dawned and it was a return to the usual routine for the pair. They fed the horses and put them out, Duo checking Zero's leg and happy that the horse appeared to be relatively sound. There was a little heat and swelling but not enough to be overly concerned about. Heero said he would take Zero out for a short ride that afternoon to ease any of the stiffness from his joints from the show. They finished the stable work and enjoyed breakfast together before Heero headed off to work and Duo went to open up for morning consults.

Out in the paddock the two horses stood side by side on differing sides of the fence, tails swishing to keep the flies at bay. Scythe had been a little aloof, her nose slightly out of joint at having been left at home all day by herself whilst Zero had been off at the show. The humans had made a big fuss over her though when they had returned and being the sweet natured mare she was, she had forgiven them.

The stallion though was another matter.

He'd tried to 'talk' to her but she'd ignored him for a while, opting to thoroughly lick out her feed bin instead. As the evening had worn on though she'd gravitated towards the stable partition and finally given in to his soft calls. She could smell different scents on him and knew he'd been off out somewhere with other horses and that disturbed her. Why, she didn't know, but she had a strange sensation running through her blood and all she knew about it was that she wanted to be closer to the other horse.

The sun was warm on her back and she rubbed her face against her foreleg. The gray was on the other side of the fence dozing lightly so Scythe took a moment to study the stallion. He was a handsome creature, she had to give him that much. Fine lines to his body, muscular legs, good strong neck and his hindquarters... He had one of the best rumps that Scythe had ever seen. His face wasn't that bad either, she mused. His eyes were a liquid brown, two clean and neat ears with a muzzle the color of a baby mushroom, and just as soft she snorted quietly, recalling the few occasions when their muzzles had touched. 

No doubt about it, he was certainly a mare's man. Scythe shook her head, not understanding why she was suddenly having these thoughts and interest in her stable companion. Her body was reacting to his scent and she found herself wanting to get closer to him.

Zero cracked open an eye and noticed the mare watching him. He blew softly through his nostrils and when he next inhaled he detected a strange scent in the air. He breathed again. The scent was coming from the mare and it set Zero's blood pulsing. He raised his head and gave a low grunt. Scythe gave a soft grunt in return. Tentatively, Zero stretched his head over the fence and rubbed against the mare's neck; when she didn't object he began to nibble at her withers and scratch the base of her neck with his teeth.

Neither horse could understand what was happening, they simply followed their instincts.

The scents and signals that the mare was giving off began to excite Zero. He began to nibble a little stronger and was rewarded when Scythe began to lower her head. Moments later the mare pushed herself up against the fence, trying to get closer to the stallion. Zero's attention was momentarily drawn to the mare's rear end and he sniffed her over. The pheromones were thick in the air and Zero found himself reacting strongly to the scent.

Scythe wasn't sure what was going on. Her body was reacting to the scent of the stallion very strongly and all she wanted to do was get closer to him. She pushed against the fence and felt his attention wander momentarily; then he was back, snorting and giving low grunts. His attentions to her neck, the soft nibbles were exciting her and she wanted more of him. Following her instincts she turned again and pushed her rump towards the stallion.

Zero sniffed again and then curled his upper lip in appreciation. There was no doubt in his mind now that the mare wanted him; and he wanted her! His blood was on fire, his excitement building but there was one slight problem.

The fence.

Zero was in one paddock and the mare was in the other. Between them stood a solid post and rail fence of five feet.

Not one to be easily deterred, especially when there was a lovely willing mare on the other side, Zero put his mind to the task at hand. How to get to the mare…

Scythe didn't really give a damn at the moment, she was too busy rubbing her rear end against the fence and trying to entice the stallion to do whatever it was her body was seeking and her instincts were telling her.

Zero eyed the fence and made up his mind. If the mare couldn't come to Zero then Zero would go to the mare. He gave a low whinny and then backed away from the fence. The mare watched him, whinnying softly in return and not sure what the gray was up to. Seconds later she had her answer as Zero lined up the fence, took a short run up and jumped it.

The gray landed easily in the mare's paddock and cantered over to her. Squeals were exchanged as muzzles touched and they sniffed each other over. Zero arched his neck and pranced, showing off a little before taking the dominant role. He approached Scythe carefully, not completely sure that his advances would be accepted but his instincts drove him on. When the mare didn't react badly to him he stamped his foreleg and tossed his head before giving a loud squeal and sidling around Scythe's flank.

Scythe braced herself and waited for the stallion to take over. She grunted as she felt his body next to hers and then the cool rush of air as he reared up. She grunted again as her body bore his weight, hind legs splayed a little to keep her balance as he proceeded to do what nature instructed him. She felt his teeth sink lightly into her neck and gave a whinny of protest but didn't have time to try and shake him off.

Zero lined himself up and mounted the mare, dropping his weight to her back and thrusting himself inside. All his instincts told him that this was what he had to do and he bit down on the mare's neck to let her know who was the boss here. His hind quarters moved on their own, grunts coming from his throat as he did what nature intended. Seconds later it was all over and Zero gave a final grunt, collapsing over the mare as his eyes slid shut.

Scythe felt her legs trembling with the weight and she snorted. She shook herself, dislodging the stallion and forcing him to leave her or fall over. With the weight gone from her back and the heat in her blood momentarily stilled, Scythe felt a little better. She turned and rubbed her head against the stallion's neck. Zero wuffled and returned the caress before leading the mare over to a shady tree where they stood head to tail, whisking the flies off each other's faces and enjoying the company.

***

Heero brought the car to a smooth halt and turned the engine off. He picked up his briefcase and exited the vehicle. Locking it his eyes wandered to the paddock. He was looking forward to taking Zero out for a bit of a ride this afternoon and had thought about it all morning at work. Heero squinted and then raised a hand to shade his eyes as he gazed out at the paddock. He scratched his head. He was certain that they had put both Scythe and Zero in separate paddocks that morning. He looked again. No doubt about it, both horses were now in the same paddock. He wondered if Duo may have shifted Zero for any particular reason and that sent a chill to his heart. Maybe there was something wrong with Zero. Rather than get too worked up, Heero thought he'd better get the facts first and strode towards the house.

Duo looked up from the kitchen table where he was reading the paper when Heero entered. "How was work this morning?" he asked.

"Fine. I have a couple of new clients. How were morning consults?"

"The usual, vaccinations, ear canker, dew claw removal, evacuation of anal glands..."

"Pardon?" Heero turned around from where he was making a cup of coffee.

Duo chuckled. "Evacuation of anal glands. I have a client whose dog tends to get impacted anal glands from time to time. I have to empty them out for him; the dog's that is."

Heero shuddered at that thought. "Thank heavens they don't do that to humans," he muttered. 

Duo snickered. "Sometimes they do, it's called an enema."

"You know, you can be downright evil at times, Duo," Heero replied.

Duo simply laughed.

Heero's mind returned to Zero as he spotted the two horses from the kitchen window. "Duo?"

"Yes?"

"Did you put Zero in with Scythe for any particular reason today?"

"Huh? What do you mean? I haven't been outside to the horses since this morning when we put them out and fed them."

"Zero and Scythe are in the same paddock, I spotted them when I pulled up and thought you may have put them in together for some reason."

"Wasn't me. I didn't know they were in together," replied Duo as he stood up and walked over to the kitchen window. "How the hell did they get in together?"

Heero took a drink of his coffee and then placed the mug on the bench top. "I think we had better investigate, I'll just go get changed first."

"Okay, I'll come out with you," said Duo absently scratching his head. He knew he'd put Zero into one paddock and Scythe into the other this morning whilst Heero cleaned the stables and he was certain he'd closed the gates properly. He shrugged his shoulders. They'd find out he guessed when they went out to check the pair.

Heero went through to his room and changed out of his shirt, tie and slacks, pulling on a pair of worn jeans and T-shirt. He toed off his dress shoes and located his short boots, picking them up and carrying them out to the kitchen, setting them by the door. Duo was still by the kitchen window. "You got anything booked in for this afternoon?"

"Nah, got a quiet one for a change," replied Duo.

"I was thinking about taking Zero out for a short ride, help to loosen his muscles and get rid of any stiffness from yesterday."

"That's a good idea."

"I thought you might like to come along with me."

"Uh. You mean, me, ride out with you? On Scythe?"

"I wasn't expecting you to walk. Besides, you're riding well enough to go out for a change. I won't be going fast, just mostly walking and a little trotting, I only want to ease any soreness from Zero, that's all." 

"I don't know."

"Come on, Duo. I'd love to have your company." Heero sidled up behind the vet and wrapped his arms around Duo's waist, pressing kisses to Duo's throat. "Please?"

Duo felt his resistance melting under the assault. When Heero used that tone of voice and applied such sweet kisses to his throat, Duo couldn't refuse him anything. "All right."

"Great. Let's go get the nags ready." Heero released his boyfriend, downed the last of his coffee and dumped the cup in the sink. The pair went to the back door, Heero putting on his boots whilst Duo checked he had his pager and cell phone on him. "All set?" Heero asked as he held open the door for Duo.

"Yup." Duo stepped out and waited for Heero to shut the door and then walked next to his partner towards the paddock. "How the hell did they get in together?" Duo asked aloud as he eyed both paddock gates. Both were still securely shut, the lead ropes dangling from their respective gates.

"It doesn't look like anyone has been tampering with the gates or moved them," said Heero as he studied the ground around the gates and not finding anything other than their own footprints and those of the horses.

Hearing the humans' voices, Zero and Scythe looked up from under the tree they were currently using for shade. Zero shook his head as Scythe rubbed against him. Seeing the humans pick up the lead ropes and begin to enter the paddock they broke from their dozing and began to walk across the paddock hoping for carrots.

Heero clipped the lead rope to Zero's halter. "How did you get in here, Zero?" he asked the horse as he ran a critical eye over the animal, looking for any sign that would give him a clue as to how Zero had come to be in Scythe's paddock.

"What you been up to, girl?" Duo asked the mare as he rubbed her forehead.

As expected, neither horse answered, other than to search the humans' pockets for carrots.

"I'm guessing that Zero has probably jumped the fence," said Heero quietly as they led the horses back to the stable area. He couldn't see any other explanation for how Zero had come to be in the other paddock.

"Why would he want to do that?" replied Duo. "He hasn't done it before."

"No, he hasn't. I guess I really don't know, Duo. I suppose he could have been lonely, he and Scythe are getting along pretty well now," said Heero as they tied their respective horses to the rings in the wall of the stable block.

They walked over to the tack shed where Heero fetched Scythe's gear and handed it to Duo before getting Zero's. Both laden with saddle, bridle, saddle blankets, brushes and in Heero's case bandages for Zero's legs, they walked back to where they'd left the horses tied up.

Approaching the animals, Duo's eyes widened and a small bell began to ring in the back of his head. Heero was too distracted to notice anything for the moment but Duo continued to observe and then the thought that was nagging at his mind come to the fore.

"Oh, fuck," Duo said quietly.

"Huh? What was that, Duo?"

"Heero... I think I know why Zero was in the same paddock as Scythe, why he jumped the fence."

"You do? Why?" Heero turned his curious eyes towards his boyfriend.

"Take a good look at them and tell me what you see." Duo nodded at the horses.

Heero turned his head and stared. He blinked and blinked again before it began to dawn on him. Scythe had shifted a little and was doing her best to push her rear end in Zero's direction. Zero was tied up a short distance away but was at the full extension of the lead rope, pulling in the mare's direction.

"Shit!" Heero muttered.

"Exactly."

"She's in season."

"I'd say so."

"You think Zero has...?"

"Highly probable."

"Fuck!"

"I think that's most likely what's occurred."

"Duo!"

The vet snickered.

"How would we know for sure?" asked Heero, opting to ignore his boyfriend's sense of humor for the moment. 

"Well, there is one sure fire way of telling."

"And that would be?"

"Wait eleven months and see if we have a little Zero-Scythe running around," grinned Duo.

Heero resisted the urge to grab the braid and throttle the vet with it. Instead he rolled his eyes. "I know that much," he stated flatly. "Surely there has to be another way of telling though."

"Yes, there is." Duo thought he'd better behave himself and get serious. "I can give her a pregnancy test in roughly a month's time... or..." Duo's face seemed to scrunch a little at the current thought in his head.

"Or?"

"I guess I could examine her now and see if there is anything inside."

"Huh? I don't think I quite understand."

Duo sighed. "Put simply, I put on a rubber glove and check out her insides to see if Zero has served her already. If he has then there will be semen inside the vaginal area."

"Aa." Heero went as red as a beetroot.

"Even if there is evidence of semen it doesn't necessarily mean she's in foal. The only way to fully determine that is to wait a month or two and do a rectal pregnancy exam."

"Umm... Do you think...?"

Duo sighed again and then walked over to the stable door to place the saddle and gear on top of it, the weight was causing his arms to ache. "I'll go get the glove while you put her in the crush," he said, knowing full well that they wouldn't be able to go on their ride until Heero had an answer.

"Thanks."

Heero put the mare in the crush whilst Duo fetched one of the long examination gloves. It was thin rubber and covered his arm from fingertips to his biceps. Duo brought a thick tube of cream with him and proceeded to coat the gloved arm in it.

"It's similar to lube I guess you could say," Duo told his boyfriend with a grin as he watched Heero's reaction. Seeing Heero's face turning a little green, Duo decided to tease a little more. He tossed the tube to the bench and fixed Heero with his violet eyes. "Okay, drop 'em, and bend over."

"Pardon?!" Heero exclaimed, a panicked look appearing on his face.

Duo snickered. "Prostate exam. Isn't this how they do it? You know, rubber glove, bend over and all that shit?"

"Duo..." Heero's voice was on the verge of hysterical as he backed away from the vet. "You're not a doctor."

"Yes, I am. I'm Doctor Duo Maxwell. I thought you knew that." Duo closed the distance between them, a wicked look on his face.

"Yes, I do, but you're an animal doctor, not human." Heero had backed up against the stable wall and had nowhere to go. His eyes darted from side to side as he looked for a way to bolt.

"Feh, animal, human, it's all pretty much the same." The grin on Duo's face grew wider.

"Duo. I don't think..." Heero's words were cut off as Duo swept in and stole Heero's lips in a torrid kiss, effectively silencing any protests.

"You don't seriously think I would do that to you, do you, Heero?" Duo snickered as he pulled away from his partner.

"Um. You did have me worried for a moment there," admitted Heero and gave a sigh of relief.

Duo laughed. "I guess I shouldn't tease you like that."

"No, you shouldn't," grumbled Heero, more annoyed at himself than Duo for letting himself be taken in so easily.

"Let's get Scythe checked out and then we can go for that ride." Duo turned back around and headed for the mare's rear end. "Could you hold her tail out the way for me, please?"

Heero strode over, embarrassed that he'd let the vet tease him like that. He lifted Scythe's tail and pulled it to the side so Duo could slip his hand and arm inside the mare.

Duo's face twisted into a grimace as he gently eased his hand inside Scythe. He didn't have to go too far before he felt the tell tale slimness of semen and began to withdraw his arm. As his hand slipped out so there were a few threads of semen clinging to the rubber of the glove.

"Well?" Heero asked as he let the tail go.

"Zero has served her alright."

"Shit. Now what?"

"Now we have to wait for at least a month and then do a preg test to see if she's in foal," replied Duo as he began to remove the glove. "Yuk." Duo tossed the used glove into the trash bin. "There's a fifty-fifty chance either way," began Duo, "but we won't know for certain until I do a test further down the track."

"So, all we can do is wait?"

"Afraid so. Actually, it could be an interesting cross, if Scythe does take and get in foal then the foal could be something pretty good," said Duo in an attempt to ease a little of the shock effect this seemed to be having on Heero.

"I guess you're right. All we can do is wait and see." Heero turned back towards his horse, shaking his head. "You sneaky bugger, Zero," he said softly as he approached the gray.

Zero simply watched his master, the other human and the mare; a smug look on his face.

~ * ~ 

tbc......


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31 

It had been a month and a half since Heero had competed at the show and taken second place. Since then life had fallen back into a steady routine of Duo's consults and surgeries, Heero going to work at the accountancy firm and returning in the afternoon to work his horse and assist Duo. Since the episode of Zero jumping the paddock fence, both the vet and Heero had kept a close eye on the two horses. Duo wouldn't mind if Scythe was in foal, although he would miss his riding lessons; Heero on the other hand wasn't sure how he felt. In one way it would be nice to have the patter of tiny hooves around the place but Heero had to ask himself if he could afford it from the financial side of things. Horses weren't cheap animals to keep, not if you looked after them properly and there was no way that Heero would ever scrimp on feeding or looking after his horses. He'd go without food himself first.

Pulling into the driveway after a stressful morning at work, Heero was glad it was Friday and he would hopefully have the entire weekend to relax and recover. He was also on edge knowing that today Duo was going to do the pregnancy test on Scythe. Both horses had been kept away from each other, Heero not wanting to risk Zero jumping the fence again and injuring himself, and Duo because he went along with Heero. After all, Heero was the expert when it came to the horses.

Closing the car door and locking it, Heero began to trek towards the house and was met at the doorway by a cup of coffee and a smiling boyfriend. Instantly Heero felt the stress of the morning melt away. "Thanks."

"You looked like you needed it pretty quick," said Duo, the smile widening. "Tough morning?"

"You could say that."

"Care to share?"

"One of the clients suddenly 'discovered' a few items of paperwork he'd forgotten to give us. I'd just finished doing up the account and set it all out when he arrived with the new stuff. It meant I had to start all over again from scratch and the stupid bastard wants it all by Monday," growled Heero as he dumped his briefcase on the floor and sat heavily on the kitchen chair.

Duo moved up behind his partner and began to massage Heero's shoulders. "I take it that means you're going to be working over the weekend?"

"Not if I can help it," replied Heero. "I've actually managed to get most of it done already. There isn't a great deal left to do and should only take an hour or two to finish off. I'm hoping to get it done and over with tonight."

"I hope your boss is going to charge him extra for this."

"He will. Mmmm... That feels so good, Duo."

Duo continued to massage Heero's neck and shoulders until the tension began to slip away. "If you've finished your coffee and want to get changed we can go do the preg test on Scythe now," he said softly.

"Yeah, I suppose we should," replied Heero. "I'll go get changed." Heero headed for his bedroom.

When Heero returned he found Duo staring out the kitchen window a distracted look on his face.

"You okay, Duo?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," replied Duo as he turned around to face the dark haired man. "You haven't given me a kiss yet," he chastised gently.

"So I haven't. I'm sorry." Heero wrapped his arms around the vet and proceeded to kiss him senseless. "That better?"

"Much. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Guess we had better go do the deed and find out where we stand," said Heero as he released Duo from his embrace.

Chuckling softly, Duo opened the back door and the pair headed out to the stable block, Heero detouring via the paddock to fetch Scythe whilst Duo went ahead to get his things ready. Scythe was safely in the crush, Duo was busy pulling on the rubber glove and applying the lube, Heero watching warily from the side. Duo gave the accountant a smirk knowing he wouldn't be catching Heero out again any time soon after his last teasing of the dark haired rider. Once the glove was coated, Heero grabbed Scythe's tail and held it to the side. This time Duo inserted his arm inside Scythe's anus.

A few lumps of manure were removed and then Duo could slip his hand and arm in easily enough. As he was traversing Scythe's insides and recalling in his mind the internal anatomy of the horse, he couldn't help but bite his lip as a few rather lewd ideas came into his head regarding the lube, glove and stretching. He thought mentioning fisting right about now would probably send Heero screaming from the stables never to be seen again. He snickered softly to himself. He couldn't help it if he had a wicked sense of humor.

Feeling his way along, Duo located the mare's uterus sitting just below the rectum. Gently he worked his fingers around, manipulating the uterus carefully. Heero was watching the vet's face intently, trying to tell from Duo's expressions what the vet had found. Duo kept his face impassive though which only served to frustrate Heero.

"Well?" Heero demanded as Duo slipped his arm out from inside Scythe and then carefully removed the glove. 

Tossing the glove into the trash, Duo washed his hands and arm before turning to face Heero and toweling off his arms. "I hate doing that," muttered Duo in referral to the rectal exam.

"I can't say that it looked too pleasant from where I was standing either, but you haven't answered my question." Heero was practically thrumming with anticipation, his weight shifting from foot to foot.

Setting the towel down, Duo looked Heero squarely in the eye and cleared his throat. "Congratulations, you're going to be a daddy; actually I should say Zero is going to be a daddy, not you; unless there's something you're not telling me," he added with a grin.

"Duo! Where the hell do you get your sense of humor from? Shit. So, Scythe's definitely in foal?"

"Yes. I could clearly feel the fetus in there."

"Well..." Heero paused, unsure of what to do or say next.

Duo solved the issue for him by clapping him on the back. "We should celebrate, Heero. We're going to be parents in roughly nine and a half months," the vet grinned.

"Yeah, we should I suppose. Shit, I mean... Oh fuck." Heero sat down on an upturned bucket and cradled his head in his hands.

"Heero? What's the matter? I thought you'd be pleased," asked Duo as he squatted next to his boyfriend.

"I am, but... well... Oh hell. Look, Duo. It's like this; I don't know if I'm going to be able to afford another mouth to feed and besides that I already have two horses here on your property, adding a third isn't going to leave you with much room for stabling of horses that come in from clients now is it?"

Duo thought about that for a moment. "Heero, hear me out before you jump to protests, okay?"

Heero nodded.

"I don't really get a lot of large animals needing hospitalization so the accommodation side isn't going to be too much of a problem. If I do need the extra paddock space then we can always put the new addition in with either Scythe or Zero depending on what sex it is, besides, the foal will be with Scythe for the first six months anyway until it's weaned. As for the feeding side, the practice is doing really well thanks to your accounting skills so I'm proposing that you let the practice pay the costs of feeding and stuff."

"But that's not fair to you, Duo," Heero stated.

"Listen. I have my own selfish reasons for this, Heero. If Scythe is as nice in her conformation or whatever it was you said about her as you think and Zero is such a good jumper then the chances are this foal will be a good one too. Right?"

"That's what the laws of averages say," replied Heero. "And Scythe does have a nice conformation on her and a sweet temperament as well so in all probability the foal should be a good one."

"Then I propose that the practice basically is registered as the foal's owner and therefore responsible for its costs. If it turns out to be a good horse then you can break it in and take it to the shows with the practice listed as the owner-come-sponsor."

"Horses aren't cheap, Duo."

"I know that, Heero. You're a bright accountant, figure it out."

The light bulb went off in Heero's head. "Tax deduction!"

"Exactly. Now you're cooking, Heero." Duo leaned in and gave his partner a kiss. "Think it would work?"

"I'll make it work."

"Thank you. Oh, I forgot to mention, Trowa and Quatre will be dropping by soon."

"They are? How come?"

"Don't panic," chuckled Duo. "It's more of a social call. Trowa asked if he could drop off one of those collection boxes for the animal shelter, you know the sort."

"Hai."

"I said he could and Quatre is coming along for the ride, I guess he thought he would see how Scythe is getting along whilst he's here."

"Shit!"

"What?"

"How's Quatre or the society going to react when they find out that Scythe's in foal?" Heero's head jerked up.

"Knowing Quatre he'll start planning a foal shower," snickered Duo.

"Can you be serious for a moment," stated Heero with a small grin on his face. Despite his worry he couldn't help but appreciate Duo's humor and the thought of a bunch of horses all sitting around sipping tea and bringing gifts for a foal shower was kind of amusing.

"Heero, Quatre and the society won't be worried about it at all. They have signed over the lease of Scythe to you on the proviso that you look after her. Anyone with half a brain has only got to take one look at her to see she's more than adequately looked after; in fact, she's downright spoiled."

"Is not," replied Hero indignantly.

"Yes, she is, and you know it," snickered Duo and gave his boyfriend a friendly punch to the arm. "Come on, let's pop her back in the paddock for a bit. You going to ride Zero?"

"I was but I think I'll give it a miss now seeing as how Trowa and Quatre are coming over," said Heero as he stood up and went to get the mare from the crush.

"Okay. I've got some paperwork for the surgery to do so I'll meet you up the house."

"Right." Heero took Scythe from the crush and led her back to the paddock. As he unclipped the lead rope he gave her a carrot and friendly pat. "There you go, girl. Sorry about all that prodding around but it was necessary." 

Scythe didn't seem to worry too much, accepting the carrot and then wandering off.

Heero was aware of Zero's eyes watching him from the paddock a little further down and after checking the gate was secure and hanging the lead rope on it, Heero headed for the gray. Zero whinnied as Heero approached and once his master was within snuffling range, Zero proceeded to check Heero's pockets for the carrots he knew were hiding there. Heero chuckled and fed the horse his favorite treat. Pulling gently on the gray ears, Heero spoke softly to the animal.

"You got your way, you sly devil, Zero. You're going to be a daddy," said Heero as he continued to pet the horse. "Scythe is pregnant with your foal so it had better be a good one, especially if Duo is intent on the practice supporting it."

Zero nudged his master as if to say, 'Would I produce anything less than perfection?' and then went back to searching for more carrots.

"I wonder if it will be a colt or a filly?" Heero mused as he fed Zero another carrot. "I wonder if Duo can tell? I know they can usually determine the sex of a baby at some stage of a woman's pregnancy, wonder if they can do the same with a foal?"

Crunching happily on the carrot, Zero really couldn't give a damn about what his master was going on about, even if he could have understood what the human was saying. Zero knew it had to be something good, the soft tone in which his master spoke told him that much. He nuzzled his master again politely asking for more carrots.

"You're greedy today," said Heero. "Here, that's the last one."

Zero took the carrot and chewed away whilst his master petted his neck. Once the carrot was gone, Zero was quite content to stand there with his master for a while, enjoying the attention he was receiving.

"There's so much to do, things to organize and discuss. I haven't much of a clue as to any special dietary requirements Scythe is going to need; I hope Duo does. I guess we should watch how much work she does from now on too, although when Duo rides her it isn't all that strenuous so he should be able to continue for a while yet. I think the work should help her a bit anyway, keep her muscles in trim for when she goes into labor. Shit! What's going to happen when she starts foaling? What if she gets into trouble? The foal could get stuck or tear her..." Heero's mind began to race a mile a minute with all sorts of questions and different scenarios of what could go wrong with Scythe during her pregnancy. 

Heero suddenly realized three things. One; he was giving voice to his words, two; his boyfriend was a vet, dammit and a fine one at that. Duo wouldn't let anything happen to Scythe and three; he wasn't alone with Zero anymore. Heero turned and caught sight of Trowa and Quatre standing just behind him, amused smiles on their faces.

"Crap. How much of that did you two hear?" Heero asked as he dusted off his hands from stroking Zero.

"Let's see; I think we came in around the 'shit' part," said Quatre with a grin.

"I take it you were talking about a horse and foaling?" said Trowa as he approached and held out his hand to Heero. "How have you been?"

Heero shook the offered hand. "I'm fine, a little stressed from working but that's to be expected and yes, I was talking about a mare foaling."

"Duo having problems with a mare that's due to foal?" asked Quatre as he stepped forwards and shook Heero's hand.

"Errr... Not quite. I was just thinking out loud."

Quatre gave him a suspicious look but didn't get the chance to question further as Duo appeared on the scene.

"Hey guys, I thought I heard your cruiser pull up." Duo approached the trio and gave Quatre a bear hug. "How's it hanging, Quat?"

"It was hanging good the last time I checked, Duo," replied the blonde with a laugh.

"Good to see you again, Duo," said Trowa as he was also in receipt of a bear hug. "Thanks for letting me put a collection box in the surgery."

"No problem, Tro. I'm always happy to help out a good cause. You two are looking well."

"Thanks. You and Heero are also looking good. Everything going okay for you both?" asked Trowa politely.

"Yeah, everything is going along fine," replied Duo softly with a small smile in Heero's direction.

Trowa couldn't help but note a touch of something else in Duo's voice and made a mental note to ask the vet about it later.

"Heero was muttering something about a mare and foaling complications," said Quatre, breaking into the quiet moment between Trowa and Duo. "You have a problem with a case?"

"Foaling complications?" echoed Duo and gazed at Heero with a puzzled frown. "I'm not treating any pregnant mares at the moment, Quat. What were you… oh!" Duo paused as he realized what Heero must have been talking about. "I see. I think I should be able to clear this up for you. I take it you haven't said anything yet, Heero?"

"No, I haven't." Heero turned back to Zero who was still nuzzling his master's pockets in the hope of gaining some more carrots. "No more for you, boy, sorry."

"Someone want to tell me what's going on? I'm getting a little lost here," said Quatre with a frown. 

"Why don't we go take a look at Scythe and I'll explain what Heero was talking about," said Duo and began to lead the way to the mare's paddock. Trowa and Quatre fell into step and Heero brought up the rear.

"She's certainly looking well, Heero," exclaimed Quatre as they stopped at Scythe's paddock gate and the mare strolled over to greet them.

"You wouldn't pick her for being the same horse, Heero. You've done miracles with her. I take my hat off to you," said Trowa as he rubbed the mare's forehead.

"I couldn't have done it without Duo's help. He deserves just as much of the credit," replied Heero with a happy smile and reached for Duo's hand, squeezing it lightly.

Duo squeezed back and gave the accountant a grin. "I didn't do much at all, it was mostly Heero stuffing her full of good tucker."

"Well, I think she looks great and she couldn't have asked for a better home than with you, Heero. You certainly have made a difference to her. I know the society is going to be very pleased with my recommendation that you have her. Thanks for not letting me down." Quatre was positively beaming.

Quatre's words of praise only made Heero feel worse about the mare's condition. Despite Duo having told him that neither Quatre nor the society would be in the least bit concerned that Scythe was pregnant, Heero couldn't help but have his doubts.

"Heero? You okay?" asked Trowa noting the shadowed look on Heero's face.

"No, not really."

"I don't understand. Are you ill or something? Has something happened? Have you had some bad news?" Quatre fired the questions off in quick succession.

"It's nothing like that, Quat," began Duo coming to Heero's rescue. "Heero is worried that the society is going to reprimand him or take Scythe away from him..."

"Why the hell would they want to do that for?" Quatre interrupted.

"If I can finish, Quat?"

"Sorry. By all means, please do."

"Scythe came into season roughly six weeks ago and at the time we didn't know. Turns out that Zero did and he jumped the paddock fence to get to her..."

"So? He didn't harm her in any way, did he?"

"Quatre!" scolded Trowa. "Let Duo speak."

Quatre held his hands up in surrender.

"Quatre; Zero is a stallion," said Duo.

"Eh?" Quatre scratched his head.

"Scythe is a mare, Zero is a stallion, Scythe was in season," Trowa said raising his eyebrows for emphasis. "Get it?"

"No, not really," puzzled Quatre.

"You want me to spell it out for you, Quat?" snickered Duo. "Zero is a stallion, you know, macho male complete with balls. Scythe is a mare, comes into season with all those hormones and stuff. Zero jumps the fence and it's a case of jump the mare and in another nine and a half months Heero and I are going to be grandparents." Duo couldn't help the grin that widened on his face as he bluntly explained everything to the blonde.

"Oh."

"Yes, Quatre. They had S.E.X. Sex. Zero is going to be a father and Scythe a mother," said Trowa softly.

"Oh."

"Look, I will understand if the society wants to take Scythe away, if they think I'm not a proper person to look after her," began Heero.

"Oh."

"I think he's in shock," snickered Duo as he waved a hand in front of Quatre's blank face. "Quatre?"

"Oh."

"Quatre, please. Can't you say something other than ‘oh’?" pleaded Heero. He expected the blonde to at least berate him for his allowing Scythe to fall pregnant.

Quatre turned his eyes towards Heero's and locked with the accountant's cobalt. "This is fantastic news! Are you certain she's pregnant, Duo?"

"Yes. No doubt about it. I did a preg test on her earlier today and it is positive."

"Wow. We're going to be uncles, Trowa! This is great! How is she doing? Is there anything we can do for her, you know, feed, blankets, stuff like that?" The inspector was simply over the moon at the thought of Scythe being in foal.

Heero's face had taken on a shell shocked look. He hadn't expected this sort of reaction from the blonde and it left him a little stunned. 

"Congratulations, Heero. And you too, Duo," said Trowa and shook both men's hands.

"Thanks, I think," replied Heero. "Are you sure this won't be a problem with the society, Quatre?"

"No. Why should it? The mare was leased to you Heero to do with as you wish providing you look after her and don't mistreat her. Putting her in foal, whether planned or not, isn't mistreatment at all, so why should the society worry or take her away from you? If anything they are even more happy for her to stay with you as they know how well you are looking after her. Don't you worry about the society, Heero. They're not about to take her away." Quatre turned to pat the mare. "You're going to be a mother I hear, girl?"

Duo poked his partner in the ribs. "See, I told you the society wouldn't mind and that Quatre would be enthusiastic."

"Give him half a chance and he'll be holding a foal shower for you," said Trowa with a touch of amusement to his voice.

"Funny, Duo said exactly the same thing," Heero deadpanned.

"Duo said what?" asked Quatre, turning from his petting for a moment.

"Both Duo and Trowa said you would more than likely want to throw a foal shower for us," said Heero.

"A foal shower? Now that's a great idea! Why didn't I think of that?"

Heero rolled his eyes, Trowa groaned and Duo went into a coughing fit of hysterics. 

"Don't you dare!" they all said in unison.

***

It was getting late in the afternoon, Quatre had been levered away from cooing over Scythe and practically dragged up to the house for some refreshments. Now the blonde had gone back with Heero to bring the horses in while Trowa accompanied Duo to the surgery to drop off the collection tin for the animal welfare society that he ran.

"I'd sit it just up here, Tro," said Duo as he cleared a spot on the reception desk. "That way when they pay their bill they are more likely to drop their change into it as opposed to their pockets. Plus they can't help but see it when they come in as they have to report to the reception desk anyway."

"Thanks, Duo," said Trowa as he set the collection tin down. It was quite an appealing tin, shaped as a dog with a slot in the head for the donations to be placed inside. The figure of the dog was sitting on top of a circular base where the bold letters read; 'Thank You For Your Donation To The Barton Animal Shelter'. "I'll give you a call once a week to see how the tin is doing and once it feels quite heavy let me know and I'll come over to collect it and replace it with another, empty one."

"Okay. Nice to know I can help out a bit."

As the pair turned to leave so Trowa paused and caught Duo by the wrist. "How is everything really going between you and Heero, Duo? I detected a sort of frustration in your voice before. Look, I don't mean to pry but if you're having any sort of problems I just wanted you to know that I'm here if you need to talk."

Duo smiled at the obvious concern. "To be honest, Trowa, there isn't really a problem as such. Heero is a fantastic guy; we share a lot of the same interests as well as having a few of our own individual ones too. We get along together better than you might think and Heero is really considerate. He cares a lot about me, I can see that even clearer now and I love him for it. He's the first person to actually see Duo Maxwell the person and not Duo Maxwell the body. He's gentle, caring, great at keeping my books in order, wonderful cook, excellent receptionist and vet nurse."

"But?" said Trowa raising an eyebrow.

"No fooling you, is there, Tro?" chuckled Duo.

"No, there isn't. I take it there is a little something bothering you?"

"Well, yes and no. Ummm... this is kinda embarrassing to talk about," mumbled Duo as his face began to turn red.

"It has to do with sex?"

"Geeze, do you have to be so blunt?"

"It is, isn't it." It was a statement not a question.

"Yeah." Duo looked down at his feet.

"If he's tried to force..."

"NO!" Duo looked up in alarm. "No, Trowa," Duo began a little softer. "Heero is a perfect gentleman. He'd never try to force himself on me. Actually he lets me be the one to set the pace and stuff, if I don't want to try something then we don't. He's been very patient but I'm a little worried that his patience is going to run out soon and then I'll lose him."

"You haven't gone all the way yet, have you?" 

"That obvious, huh?"

"It isn't hard to figure out, Duo. I gather you're a virgin?"

Duo blushed madly giving Trowa his answer.

"Ah. Is Heero also a virgin?"

"I'm pretty sure he is. He's never said otherwise and going by what we've done so far, I'd say he's never gone all the way either." Duo thought the heat from his cheeks would burn him if he got any hotter.

"From what you've told me, Duo, it makes perfect sense that you would both be cautious about going all the way and that's nothing to be ashamed of, it should be admired."

"Tro?"

"Yes?"

"We fool around and stuff but, I don't know, when it comes to taking that final step I seem to do nothing but hesitate and I'm afraid that Heero will lose patience with me soon and find someone else." Duo lowered his eyes.

"Duo, Heero doesn't strike me as the sort to just up and leave you simply because you're not giving out. From what you've said he appears to love you very much and that sex doesn't bother him as much as it apparently bothers you. Look, if you want some advice I'd talk to him..."

"I've already done that. We are quite open with each other in that respect, Tro. I've learnt that lesson quite well. Heero assures me that he's not about to take off just because I'm not ready for that step."

"Then trust in him, Duo. Don't take that final step until you are really sure that you're ready to. If you give in now just so you won't lose Heero then you may end up regretting it later on. Let your conscience tell you when you're ready, follow your instincts and your heart."

"If I follow my instincts I could end up like Scythe," snickered Duo. "Only not in foal."

Trowa laughed. "You know something, Duo?"

"What?"

"It seems to me that you're worried about being bottom."

Duo flushed again.

"Ah, so I've hit the sore spot. Duo, in a relationship between two guys either one of you can be bottom. Some guys find they like being bottom and refuse to be anything else; other guys like to top all the time and then there are those that don't mind either way."

"What about you, Trowa? Which are you?"

It was Trowa's turn to flush. He swallowed before replying. "I'm the latter. I don't mind either way. Sometimes I feel like being bottom, it's a wonderful feeling to have the person you love buried deep inside you, touching that special place and making you soar. Then there are times when I like to top, to feel myself enclosed in the heat and moistness of my partner. There are pluses to both, Duo, but only when you're ready for that step."

Duo thought long and hard about Trowa's words and finally began to understand.

"Have you spoken to Heero about his preference?"

"No, no, I haven't."

"I'd suggest that you do, Duo. You need to talk to him, let him know if you're concerned about being bottom or top. Discuss it with him and find out which he would prefer. Communication is the key to a successful relationship. But above all else, don't simply go ahead and jump into bed because you feel you have to. Respect yourself and only take that final step, make love when you feel the time is truly right and you will have something special to hold onto for the rest of your life."

Duo gave a warm smile and squeezed Trowa's shoulder. "Thanks, Tro. I know it isn't easy for you to talk about these things, just as it's almost impossible for me to; but your words have really helped. You've given me food for thought and once I have a few things straightened out in my head you can bet I will sit down with Heero and discuss this."

"Good. He's a good guy, Duo, and worth hanging onto, but not at the expense of your virginity. Although, he's never struck me as the sort to be pushy in a relationship. I'll admit I had my doubts to begin with but after seeing him around his horses and watching him around you I've nothing but respect for him."

"That means a lot to me, Trowa."

"Anytime, Duo."

No more words were exchanged but Duo knew he had a good friend in Trowa. The man may be quiet but he was very observant and worldly-wise when it came down to the nitty-gritty things. Duo respected Trowa's opinion and advice more than the man would probably ever know. They walked back to the stables in time to give Quatre and Heero a hand with putting the horses in and rugging them up for the night.

~ * ~ 

tbc.....

Authors Note: Many thanks to Amarin Rose for the suggestion of putting in a collection box for Trowa's Animal shelter. It gave me the perfect opening to bring these two back into the fic.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32 

Several more days passed after Trowa and Quatre's visit, the practice seemed to be progressing in leaps and bounds. Word of the long haired vet and his caring attitude had spread quickly and Duo was finding himself with fully booked consulting hours and many more outside calls to boot. Not only that, but the surgery side was moving rapidly as well. Heero was a great asset to Duo in the evening round of consultations simply by running the reception area for him. He was also a helpful 'nurse' when the need arose and more often than not, Heero found himself assisting Duo with his operations in the afternoons as well as attending some of the visits to outside calls.

Life was looking good as the practice flourished, Duo's mortgage on the property that had once worried him was now paid a year in advance and Duo felt comfortable knowing he had that buffer should he fall on hard times for any reason. He even had money in the bank, which to Duo was a bonus. But there was still one dark cloud on the horizon and Duo couldn't shake it. His talk with Trowa had set his mind ticking and he knew he had to bring up the subject with Heero; and soon.

Problem was he didn't seem to get either the opportunity or the time lately.

Heero's car swung in the driveway just as Duo was putting out the last of the washing. Surgical cloths waved in the strong breeze as Duo ducked out from underneath and went to greet his boyfriend. Heero planted a kiss to the vet's lips and slipped his arm around Duo's waist, pleased and warmed when Duo's hand slid into the back pocket of his trousers.

"Busy morning?" asked Heero as they stepped inside the house.

"Yeah. Consults were full again so there's a shit load of paperwork to be finalized and we have the stocktaking of drugs to do as well this afternoon."

"Anything booked in for surgery?"

"No. I kept the afternoon clear knowing this stocktake will take a couple of hours to do," replied Duo as he poured them both a cup of coffee.

"Good idea," replied Heero as he sipped on the scalding liquid. "I'll go get changed and then we can get started on it if you like. The sooner we get stuck into it, the sooner we can finish and move on to more enjoyable things." Heero gave a wink as Duo blushed at his words.

***

"Lethabarb?"

"Three bottles. Two full: five hundred mils, a third roughly one fifty mil."

"I think that's the last of it," said Heero as he ticked off the list and wrote down the last of the numbers. 

Duo took the offered bunch of papers and flipped through, checking each drug and noting Heero's neat handwriting. "Yup, that's the lot. Thanks, Heero. It's so much quicker when you have someone to help you."

"My pleasure," replied Heero and wound his arms around Duo from behind, kissing the exposed skin of the vet's neck.

"Mmmm... Nice," said Duo as his eyes slipped shut and he enjoyed the tingles running along his spine.

Heero continued his ministrations, pulling Duo even closer to him and pressing his groin against Duo's backside. His cock was hardening rapidly and he gently ground his hips into the vet's rear, enjoying the friction and arousing himself even more.

Duo's cock was hardening in response to the caresses to his neck and the hard body pressed to his back. When Heero pulled him closer he relished the contact; but when Heero began to grind his obvious erection against his ass, Duo's blood turned to ice and he couldn't help but stiffen.

Feeling the change in his partner, Heero stopped immediately and loosened his hold on the braided vet. "Something wrong, Duo? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Mentally whacking himself, Duo turned around slowly to meet Heero's worried blue eyes. He swallowed and cleared his throat. He owed Heero an explanation and it seemed that this was going to be the break he'd been looking for to be able to talk to Heero about his concerns and fears. "Heero, I need to talk to you."

"Uh? This sounds serious, Duo. Have I done something wrong, something to upset you?"

"No, Heero. Nothing like what you're thinking but here isn't the place to discuss this. Can we go back to the house and talk? I'd feel a lot more comfortable talking about this there."

"Sure." Heero was rather puzzled to say the least but he knew Duo would tell him what was on his mind soon enough. Heero could only hope it wasn't anything too bad and that they would be able to resolve whatever it was that had the vet on tenterhooks.

They stepped back inside the house and Duo led them through to the lounge room, sitting down on the couch and patting the seat next to him for Heero to sit. Heero sank into the cushions and relaxed as much as he could, the tension was thick in the air and Heero felt the weight of it pressing him down.

"What is it you wanted to talk to me about, Duo?"

Duo licked his suddenly dry lips and swallowed. His tongue felt too big and a cold sweat broke out on his skin. Somewhere in his gut a team of butterflies began dancing and it was all Duo could do to keep his voice steady. He took Heero's hand in his, running his thumb over the back of it and plucking up the courage to speak. He couldn't meet Heero's eyes and so kept his own lowered.

"Heero, I need to talk to you about our relationship and where we are going with it. I... I care about you very much and I know you care deeply for me. These past months have been the happiest of my life and I have you to thank for that. So much has happened to us both and at times I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming it all. I know you're a patient guy and willing to wait, we've had that discussion before so I'm not going to go back over it now; but..." Duo paused for a moment and raised his eyes a touch to try and gauge how Heero was taking this so far. The blue eyed man appeared to be quite calm from all outwards appearances, but Duo knew with Heero that could be deceptive.

"I think I know why I'm hesitating, why I'm scared to take that final step."

Heero reached out with his free hand and stroked Duo's cheek. The hesitant words of the vet and the reaction he'd caused in said vet when rubbing himself against Duo's backside in the surgery all came together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, slotting into place in Heero's mind. "You're worried about being bottom," stated Heero softly.

Duo looked up sharply. "You knew?" he accused.

"No. I just put two and two together and figured it out," replied Heero. "I take it I was correct?"

Duo lowered his eyes again and whispered softly. "Yeah. I won't deny it. I'm scared of being bottom and I'm not sure why."

"I can understand that, Duo. It's natural to be wary of something you're not completely sure about. There are so many things that run through your mind when questioning the unknown."

"You got that right," admitted Duo ruefully. "I suppose I'm unsure of what it will be like, would I enjoy it?"

"Will it hurt?" Heero said as he raised Duo's face to look the vet in the eyes. "That's the first question I'd be asking."

"Well, there is that too," Duo blushed.

"I can't answer that question, Duo."

"But I figured that with your personality you'd be more the dominant type. You know, the one to be on top."

"I suppose that would be a reasonable assumption, but I still can't answer that question as I have no experience in either department," said Heero quietly as he lowered his eyes.

"Then you're saying that you've never..."

"No, no, I haven't. I've never had sex with a man, Duo. I've been with a couple of girls when I was younger but that was when I figured out I didn't really like the whole sex thing with females, I much preferred males."

"Oh."

"Duo, I know the basics, what goes where and that there is preparation and lube involved; but as for actually going all the way, making love to another man or having another man make love to me, well, that's uncharted waters."

"Aren't you scared?"

"Terrified," returned Heero with a weak smile. "But not about the act itself, more like I'm worried I would hurt my partner or he wouldn't enjoy it or worse still, I'd fail to satisfy him."

Duo chuckled. "I don't think you would fail your partner, Heero. In fact I think you would be a terrific lover. You're kind, thoughtful and considerate."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," smiled Heero. "It still doesn't change matters though, we're still at the same point we were a few moments ago."

"Yeah."

"Duo, maybe if I explain a little of my past it may be easier for you to understand. I've had sex with women as I've already told you and it didn't do anything for me. Oh, they were soft and curved in all the right places and they appeared to enjoy my caresses and touches, but it didn't feel right to me. I suppose I sort of enjoyed it but when it came to the actual making love part, well..." Heero's face began to color a little.

Duo thought on that for a moment before replying hesitantly. "You didn't climax?"

Heero's face went even redder. "Yes and no," he replied hesitantly.

"Oh, Heero," Duo wrapped his arms around the accountant. He couldn't think of anything worse happening to a man when he was making love than to lose his erection, fail to climax or perform to the expected standard.

Seeing as how they were baring all to each other, Heero decided that honesty was going to be the best policy here and so he swallowed his pride and admitted his failure. "The first time I made love, the woman pretty much seduced me. We had been at a show and she was riding at the same stable I was. I would have been about eighteen. We went along with the rest of the riding school clients to the show, it was a sort of end of season celebration thing and traditional. I was competing in the jumping against her and she beat me. When we got back to the stables and had settled the horses, most of the other clients had gone. She and I… you know I can't even remember her name? Well, we were in the feed shed making up the feeds for the horses when next thing I know she's plastered against me and kissing me madly. I, well, I wasn't sure what was happening and before I could gather my wits she had me in the back of the feed shed in the hay." 

Duo snorted. "Gives a whole new meaning to the words 'roll in the hay', hey?"

Heero laughed.

Duo was also reminded of Trowa's words about your first time being special and because you wanted it. Guess that showed seeing as Heero couldn't even remember the girl's name.

"To continue on, she had me in the hay and next thing my pants were around my ankles and she was attacking my groin like there was no tomorrow. I suppose being eighteen and having hormones and stuff my body reacted to the stimulus and I found myself getting hard. Strange thing was, I didn't feel excited." Heero paused again for a moment and then carried on. "I suppose that doesn't really make a whole lot of sense, does it? I mean, I was hard, that wasn't a problem. My cock took over and stood upright and next thing I know she's mounting me and riding me like she would one of the horses; but whilst I was erect I didn't feel the excitement you're supposed to feel. Oh, it was okay, I guess, she must have thought so as she came and then the forces of nature took over and I shot my load but it wasn't what I'd expected it to be."

"You were waiting for the fireworks, the earth to move and all that other shit," chuckled Duo.

"Yeah, I guess so. The climax was okay, it felt... nice, but there was this hollow pit, I don't know how else to explain it, as if there should have been something more." Heero sighed. "I thought it was probably because she'd surprised me by taking charge; after all, isn't it supposed to be the guy that's in control?"

"No good asking me, Heero. I haven't been with either sex so I can't tell you. I assume that because the males are supposedly the dominant species we should be taking the alpha role. That's how it works with the animal kingdom and we are a part of that kingdom even if we are supposed to be more intelligent."

"I didn't see much of her after that, I quit the riding school and moved on. I began my accountancy course and had to study so much that my riding was put on hold more or less. I did ride a couple of horses from time to time for friends and one of my good friends persuaded me to go double dating with him a couple of times. I didn't mind, gave me the chance to get out a bit and relax. I took out a couple of girls who were also studying the same accountancy course as I was and took one of them back to my place once. I guess I wanted to see if sex a second time around would produce anything earth shattering for me if I was in control. She was willing enough, I took her through to the bedroom and we undressed each other, I touched her in all the right places and such and managed to rise to the occasion, but." Heero took a deep breath and turned his eyes away. "I made love to her and brought her to climax..."

"You didn't reach your own?" asked Duo softly.

"No. It was kind of embarrassing actually. Once she'd come I seemed to lose all interest in the proceedings. I blamed it on the long hours of study and being tired. She was sympathetic and understanding and even tried to blow me, but nothing worked. I'd lost my erection and nothing would bring it back. After that I just threw myself into my studies and passed with honors. Not long after, I got back into the riding and bought Zero. I met a few people on the circuit and began to socialize a little. There was this one guy, Peter was his name. Good looking and nice body, well, he began to show an interest in me and after a couple of times going out to the movies, I went back to his place. Things progressed from there and when he touched me it was like an electric shock. I didn't know I could feel that sort of excitement. That's when I knew I preferred guys. No girl had ever invoked that sort of reaction in me before."

Duo absorbed this new information and analyzed it. He could feel the green monster raising its ugly head and shoved it aside. He had no reason to be jealous of Heero's past. It was exactly that; the past and that's where it belonged. Heero was with Duo now and that was all that mattered.

"We didn't do much, just a little fooling around, you know, touching and stuff. He gave me a blow job and I honestly thought I was gonna die from the pleasure. No girl's mouth had felt that good. We split up not long after, he wanted more from the relationship but without the strings and I wasn't ready to commit to that. I was still coming to terms with the fact that I was gay, so I moved on. That's when I met you, Duo, and I knew that I could have what it was I was searching for with you. Don't ask me how or why because I don't know myself. With you I felt an attraction and sort of comradeship; I could be at ease with you, relax and enjoy the relationship as it developed. There wasn't any pressure on me to give what I wasn't ready to. I suppose you could say I was a lot like you in what I wanted. Maybe now you can understand why I haven't pressured you and I won't. Oh, I'll admit I feel ready for the final step, in fact I can't wait to make love with you, but I want you to be comfortable with the idea first."

"Oh, Heero," murmured Duo and kissed his boyfriend soundly. 

Resting his forehead against Duo's, Heero felt as if a weight had been taken from his shoulders with his confession. "I want to make love with you, Duo, so much it hurts at times but I'm also concerned. In all honesty I think when we do finally commit to that part of our relationship I would prefer to be bottom. That might sound strange, but being top at the moment scares the shit out of me in case I should fail like I did the last time I was with a woman, and I don't think my ego could take a second failure."

"Heero, there's nothing more I would like than to make love with you but I think we need to discuss this a little more. We need to find out what each of us expects, what we hope to gain from it. At least that way we will have something to work with. I think we are both putting too much pressure on the fact of what it should be like, instead of letting it simply happen and enjoy the results. I'm scared because I don't know if I can be bottom, I'm worried that I won't experience what everyone says they experience during the act and that thought makes me as nervous as hell. What if I don't enjoy it? What if it does hurt too much? I suppose there's a little less stress on being top. I'd like to know what it feels like to make love to you, but what if I hurt you? What if I don't prepare you properly? What if all I give you is pain? Somehow I think we need to conquer these fears first by letting each other know what our limits and our expectations are." Duo kissed the tip of Heero's nose.

"When did you become so wise?" Heero chuckled. "But for the record, I think you're right. Somewhere along the line we've become conditioned into thinking that it's all going to be fireworks and crashing waves of bliss and that's helped to manifest the fear that if it doesn't feel like that then there's either something wrong with us or we're doing something wrong."

"So, what now?"

"I think we should continue the way we are. Let's enjoy our relationship and learn about each other's bodies, what we like and don't like, and not be afraid to tell each other what we are feeling, what we want more of or if something doesn't feel good. Complete honesty. And if we are being completely honest then when we do take that final step, I'd like to be the bottom if that's okay with you."

Duo couldn't answer for a moment. There was a lump lodged deep in his throat and it was all he could do to force the air past it. Instead he nodded and then took his boyfriend's lips in a deep kiss, pouring his heart and soul into it. When they did break for air, both were flushed and panting. Their lips met again, tongues invading and entwining, stroking sensitive spots and driving all thoughts other than lust from their minds. Duo's hands began to wander down Heero's back, stroking over the taut muscles beneath the cloth of Heero's shirt. The skin shivered beneath his palms, Duo found the waistband of Heero's pants and began to tug the shirt from inside and then worked his hands underneath to caress the firm flesh.

Moaning softly, Heero could feel the familiar wave of desire begin to build. He broke the kiss and began to work his lips and tongue over the skin of Duo's neck, hungrily devouring every inch he could find. He nuzzled against the collar of the shirt as he brought his hands into play, deftly undoing the buttons on Duo's shirt and revealing the smooth chest to his eyes and mouth. His lips sealed themselves to a nipple and began to tease, flicking over the nub with a wicked tongue, sucking hard and nibbling with gentle teeth.

"Ahhh... Ohhh..." Duo moaned as his body began to respond. "That's good, Heero," he encouraged and removing his hands from inside Heero's shirt he brought them up to tangle through Heero's thick locks. "So good."

The nub he was tormenting hardened swiftly and reluctantly Heero left his playing to traverse to the other nipple and provide the same treatment. Duo's soft moans, pants and words of encouragement warmed him and he applied himself to the task at hand with renewed vigor.

With Heero leaning across him to reach his chest, so Duo was able to lower his hands once more to Heero's back, only this time he kept moving them downwards until he reached Heero's ass. He cupped the cheeks through the fabric of Heero's pants and squeezed. He longed to touch without the barrier of cloth but to remove Heero's pants would mean having Heero leave his worship of Duo's chest and the vet wasn't ready to give up that stimulation and pleasure just yet so he contented himself with tracing the seam line along the crevice of the accountant's rear.

The soft tracing of the seam over his backside had Heero squirming a little. It sort of tickled and yet didn't. Heero could feel his excitement mounting, swelling between his legs and pressing against the confines of his trousers. He ached to be free of the restrictions and yet he was reluctant to leave the feast he was enjoying. He began to undulate his hips to let the vet know that the caresses were welcome and very much wanted.

Knowing what his boyfriend was telling him without the need for words, Duo pressed his fingers a little harder against the fabric, providing his partner with more pleasure. He groaned as Heero bit gently on his nipple, his hips thrusting upwards and pushing against Heero's arm that lay just above his lap. "Want to touch you too, Heero," he moaned.

Reluctantly Heero released the stiffened nub and pulled back, a smirk on his face. "You taste delicious, Duo. I can't get enough of you," he breathed out huskily and then with a seductive smile he asked. "What do you want, Duo?"

"Want to touch you, skin to skin," Duo managed to get out in-between pants of arousal. "Need to feel you, see you, caress you."

"Ahhh..." Heero couldn't stop the moan as Duo reached forth to fondle him through his trousers. He was painfully hard and the touch was torture. "Want you to touch me," he ground out through clenched teeth, desperate to regain control and not lose it before anything had begun.

"Maybe we should go through to the bedroom," Duo suggested and paused, waiting to see what Heero's reaction would be. They hadn't been in the bedroom together under these circumstances before. Most of their fooling around had taken place on the couch in the lounge room. For some reason Duo felt the bedroom was a sort of symbol, a sign that by taking things into the bedroom they were committing to their relationship in full. 

"Are you sure? I don't want to pressure you, Duo."

"I'm sure, Heero," replied Duo in a hoarse tone. "Let's get more comfortable and see what happens. No pressure, just go with the flow and let what happens, happen." 

Heero gave the vet a warm smile and levered himself off the couch. Taking Duo's hand in his and assisting the vet to stand, he quietly asked, "Your room or mine?"

"My room, it has a bigger bed," said Duo with a wink.

Heero felt the burn to his cheeks but followed his boyfriend down the hall and into the bedroom, Duo closing the door behind them and then turning to take Heero's lips in another searing kiss. The kiss deepened rapidly, tongues dancing together and firing the need once more. As they kissed so Duo eased them both slowly in the direction of the bed, once his legs met with the mattress he broke the kiss and nibbled along Heero's bottom lip.

Violet met cobalt and no words were needed, they both understood that this would only go as far as they were both comfortable with. Heero felt a little better at that prospect and Duo felt relief that he was still in control. Duo reached over and tossed the stuffed animals from the bed cover along with the two decorator pillows. Gently he eased Heero to the bed and followed the descent, laying himself down and stretching out alongside his boyfriend. They resumed their kissing, allowing hands to wander over each other's torsos, enjoying the intimacy of being together and in each others arms.

Need began to overrule and slowly Heero removed Duo's shirt, his own following moments later. Chests bared they came together again for a heated kiss then parted to allow themselves the luxury of exploring each other’s skin of neck and torso. They took it in turns to kiss, lick and nibble over the expanse of flesh on offer, pleasure singing along nerves as heat between them built.

Duo's fingers found the button and zip of Heero's trousers and began to undo them. The cloth parted and Duo was acutely aware of the hard flesh pressing against Heero's briefs. His hand quested forth and began to palm the erection through the cotton, the feel of the stiffness in his hand turning him on even more.

Heero decided that two could play at that game and teased the zipper of Duo's jeans down to dive inside and locate the flap of Duo's boxers. His hand traversed inside and quickly sought what it wanted, curling around the swollen length and easing out into the cool air.

Hips began to thrust lazily as erections were fondled, soft moans and pants left their mouths as they let each other know of their desire and need. Heero became impatient. He was tired of having his clothing in the way and wanted it removed. He slipped his hand from Duo's cock and undid the button of the jeans then tugged on the waistband. "Off," he ground out.

Duo chuckled but lifted his hips to comply, the tight denim and his boxers sliding over his hips and thighs, catching briefly at his ankles and then being tossed somewhere onto the floor. "My turn," he whispered huskily and began to ease Heero's pants from his pelvis.

Lifting his hips to assist, Heero couldn't help but look at his boyfriend's naked form. Duo was normally an attractive man, but unclothed he was stunning. Creamy skin over a well toned body. Broad chest that tapered to a narrow waist, long slender legs that met at an apex of dark curls and standing proudly from that apex was Duo's cock, weeping a little with excitement. Heero licked his lips. Duo was deceptive, underneath that smooth exterior lay a strength one couldn't begin to dream of. Duo was handsome, no doubt about it. Heero hesitated to say beautiful but there was an allure about him that had Heero go weak at the knees.

"Gods, you're magnificent," murmured Duo as he removed Heero's briefs and tossed them to join the rest of the pile of clothing on the floor. Heero was all muscle, compact and wiry without an ounce of fat anywhere. His manhood stood erect, commanding attention and Duo wanted to give it all the attention it wanted and deserved. He reached out and traced his fingers over the warm flesh, smiling as the organ twitched and surged up seeking more.

Moaning softly, Heero rocked his hips, seeking more of his boyfriend's ministrations. He turned slightly and spread his legs a little, giving Duo easier access to his body to do with as he wished. He wasn't disappointed. Gentle fingers ghosted along his inner thighs leaving heated trails in their wake. They teased and tormented his skin, setting his nerve endings into overdrive and causing his mind to shut down.

Duo was so turned on he hurt. With Heero's body before him he was like a kid with a new toy. Despite the fact that they had seen each other naked a few times and touched each other intimately, it was always fresh and new to Duo. He loved Heero's body, the dips and curves, the masculine scent; the way the skin shivered under his lips and fingers, all telling him that Heero was welcoming to his advances and inexperienced foreplay. Duo was a fast learner though and with the petting sessions they'd already enjoyed he'd been quick to pick up on things that Heero liked. 

Heero found himself being eased to his back and rolled over willingly. Heavy lidded cobalt eyes watched as Duo raised himself a little to continue with his 'playing'. Now on his back, Heero spread his legs wider in invitation.

Not one to pass up an invitation, Duo was quick to respond. He turned his own body so that he could reach Heero's easier and began his investigation of the accountant's assets. Fingers trailed over toned abs, moving ever southward and leaving shivering skin in their wake. They stroked through stiff, wiry hairs that thickened as they sought out the hard flesh jutting up and begging for attention. Reaching his goal, Duo's fingers teased along the underside of Heero's cock, trailed over the thick crown and paused to torment the tiny slit that leaked a steady flow of precum. Not content to simply explore Heero's cock, Duo's hands wandered back down to the heavy sac and gently caressed the wrinkled skin. He felt the weight of Heero's balls in his palm, rolled them around inside their protective scrotum and squeezed gently.

"Ahhh... Uhhh..." Heero moaned as his body came alive with sensation. The soft touches stirred him deep inside to the point where his balls ached and his cock cried tears of desperation. His hips moved of their own volition, pushing his need towards his partner in the hope he would receive more stimulation. 

His wish was granted.

Duo's mouth opened and he sucked the head of Heero's cock inside, running his tongue around the ridge and then dipping into the slit to lap at the precum that oozed out steadily. The heat and silky smoothness of Heero's cock teased at his tongue and hungry for more, Duo began to slide the organ the rest of the way in. Heero's thighs fell wide apart as Duo tongued along the underside of his cock, eliciting more moans of pleasure from the man. Duo twisted a fraction more, pulling his body a little closer to Heero's and giving him the chance to gaze between Heero's spread legs. He could see the patch of skin just behind Heero's balls and recalled how nice it had felt when Heero had touched him there. He wondered if Heero would experience the same pleasure. Keeping his mouth busy bathing the accountant's cock, Duo brought his fingers along the inside of Heero's thigh and stroked his thumb over the patch of skin.

The response was electrifying.

Heero's body arched and a guttural moan tore from his throat. "Ahhh... Fuck! Do that again!" he demanded and Duo complied. The sensitive perineum was stroked and caressed lovingly by Duo's finger and thumb sending Heero into convulsions of delight.

"You like that, Heero?" Duo asked as he released the slick cock from his mouth for a moment.

"Fuck, yes!"

Chuckling softly, Duo lowered his mouth again but this time he began to tongue Heero's balls, teasing them and watching as Heero's balls shifted in their sac with each lick of his tongue. Duo's eyes traveled further down and were greeted by the sight of Heero's entrance, quivering with the pleasure that Duo was gifting the rest of Heero's body. Duo was curious. He wondered what it would feel like to touch Heero there, what sort of reaction it would evoke in the usually quiet accountant. He hoped Heero wouldn't mind but Duo couldn't wait any longer. He wanted so desperately to see what it would feel like to stroke Heero's insides. Figuring that Heero would let him know if the touches were not wanted, Duo decided to put his trust in their earlier conversation and explore the accountant's body to the full.

Heero was completely lost in a world of sensation. Everything in his head had flown, leaving only the baser instincts he needed to survive. He was clouded with lust, thrumming with pleasure and alive with passion. Every touch of Duo's fingers, lips or tongue sent him deeper into the world of total bliss and he never wanted to surface from it. Somehow he managed to locate enough brain cells to move his own hand between Duo's thighs and take hold of the stiff flesh he found. Curling his fingers around the erection, he began to slowly stroke the vet's cock, sliding his thumb over the tip from time to time and smearing the sticky droplets that continued to leak.

As Duo continued to stroke his thumb and finger over Heero's perineum, so Duo let the length of his strokes increase, moving steadily downwards until he brushed his thumb over the tiny hole. Heero's response to his touch was to say the least; unexpected. Heero's body surged upwards, arching gracefully as a cry left his lips. Duo froze in stunned shock, unsure of what had happened, if he'd hurt Heero or if Heero was repulsed by the touch. Swallowing, his voice came out a little shaky. "You okay, Heero? I'm sorry if I hurt you, I didn't mean to cross the line..."

"No, Duo," Heero managed to get out as he realized what the vet was saying. He'd been so lost in the pleasure that small brush had given him that he didn't spot Duo's reaction at first and it wasn't until Duo spoke that he understood the vet thought the reaction had been a bad one. He quickly scrambled his vocal skills to reassure the vet that everything was okay. "You didn't hurt me at all, quite the opposite in fact. Fuck, that felt wonderful, I didn't realize how sensitive that area could be. I, I'd like you to touch me there some more if you want to," he added a little shyly.

The relief Duo felt with Heero's words flooded his body and he visibly relaxed. A smile came over his face and he returned once more to the pleasuring of his boyfriend. His thumb brushed again over the tiny hole and he noted with pleasure that Heero's body was quivering, trembling with the obvious enjoyment of his caress. Feeling a little bolder, Duo began to circle the hole, rubbing his thumb back and forth, teasing lightly. Heero's body began to relax a little more and he sucked the head of Heero's cock back into his mouth to feed upon whilst continuing to stroke the tender opening.

It was all Heero could do to remain focused. His world had narrowed to his nether regions and the pleasure he was feeling from Duo's ministrations. He continuously had to remind himself to stroke Duo's penis that was still encased in the tunnel of his hand. With what Duo's finger was doing to him combined with that delicious mouth, Heero knew he wouldn't be lasting too much longer. What Duo did next turned his legs to jelly and his brain into mush.

Releasing Heero's cock from his mouth to lick again at his balls, Duo brought his hand up and teased the slit with a finger. He coated the finger with Heero's semen, his mind reminding him that men did not self lubricate and if he was to do what he so desperately wanted to do he would need some form of slipperiness to make it easier and less uncomfortable for his partner. With his finger thoroughly coated in the sticky fluid and saliva, Duo returned to his teasing of Heero's entrance. He circled it again and then proceeded to gently press against the hole. The anal muscles relaxed and Duo was able to penetrate Heero's body, working just the tip of his finger inside. He glanced up at Heero and was warmed by the expression on Heero's face.

Eyes drifted shut, body hummed and Heero relaxed into the waves of pleasure lapping over and through him. When Duo's finger began probing at his hole he could only hope that the vet would slip his finger inside. Heero wanted so much to feel what it would be like to have something inside him and he persuaded his body to open up and accept Duo's finger. The digit slipped inside and began to probe around. Whilst it felt a little unusual it didn't hurt and Heero found himself enjoying it more than he would have hoped.

The accountant's face was one of pure bliss and Duo smiled inwardly. He pushed his finger in deeper, amazed at the heat and tightness of Heero's passage. It was also moist and Duo could feel the strength in the anal muscles as they clenched and released around his finger. Screwing up more courage, Duo pushed the finger even deeper and then dared to add a second. Heero's body seemed greedy and swallowed both his fingers with ease, Heero panting lightly and squirming as Duo's fingers caressed the inner passage.

"More, Duo. Move them around inside me. It feels so damn good, I want more," Heero managed to get out as his body demanded more attention.

"Your wish is my command," returned Duo and began to work his fingers in earnest, pushing them in and out.

"Deeper, push them deeper,” begged Heero. "You should be able to reach my prostate. It's supposed to fe... AHHHH!" 

Heero's body went into a convulsion as Duo did as requested and probed deeper into Heero's channel. He found a spongy bump and pushed against it. What happened next left him stunned.

Heero was suddenly consumed by unbelievable pleasure, his body assaulted, nerves singing as colored lights exploded in his head. "Oh, shit! Good, feels so damn fucking good! Oh gods..." Heero's body writhed beneath Duo's fingers as Heero sought more of that pleasure.

Duo grinned and eagerly pushed his fingers in deep again, searching for and finding that spot. He caressed it lovingly, drawing his fingertip repeatedly over it whilst his boyfriend moaned, writhed and cried out beneath him. He took the head of Heero's penis into his mouth again and suckled hungrily. He could tell Heero was close and Duo wanted his essence. He was quickly rewarded as Heero suddenly stiffened and hot seed flooded Duo's mouth. He quickly swallowed, trying to taste it all as Heero continued to spurt forth. The channel around his fingers spasmed, holding Duo's fingers prisoner as Heero rode the best climax of his life to the very end.

Moments later, Heero collapsed into a boneless heap on the bed, all neuron function escaping him temporarily and leaving him unable to do anything but draw shuddering breaths into his lungs. 

As Heero collapsed so Duo slipped his fingers out and shifted slightly to the side. His own cock was throbbing and seeing as how Heero was unable to do anything other than pant at the moment, Duo quickly wrapped his fingers around his arousal and began to jerk. His head tossed back as the vision of Heero's face in the throes of orgasm supplied him with the extra stimulation he needed to bring himself off.

Heero cracked open an eye just as Duo gave the final tug to his cock and his seed erupted from the slit to coat his hand and drip to the covers below. With the vet's head tossed back and expression of pure bliss on his face he was simply stunning to observe and Heero's heart melted with the vision. As Duo's orgasm shuddered through him and then began to abate so Duo collapsed to the bed covers beside his partner and felt warm, strong arms wrap themselves around him. Duo burrowed into the heat and lay there, contented.

Heero pressed a kiss to the top of Duo's head. "That was fantastic," he murmured softly. "I've never felt anything quite like that before, thank you."

"I've never done anything like that before either but I'm happy you enjoyed it. At least you appeared to be enjoying it," replied Duo.

"I think enjoyment is an understatement," murmured Heero. "It was completely and utterly wonderful. I'll tell you something, Duo. If making love feels anything like that then you're never going to get the chance to be bottom."

Duo chuckled. "We'll see. Let's snuggle for a bit, Heero, while we have the chance. Evening consults will be starting soon and there's still the nags to be brought in and fed."

"Mmmm... Snuggling sounds good," replied Heero and drew the vet closer to him.

They lay locked in each others arms, each drifting happily in the memories of what had just transpired and the anticipation of what the future held.

~ * ~ 

tbc......


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33 

The next few months passed in a blur for both men. Duo was kept very busy with the practice, never seeming to have a moment to himself. Heero was equally as busy, the accountancy firm had expanded and once again Heero had been offered a full time position. Once again, he'd turned it down. He still worked the morning shift returning at lunch time to the practice and assisting Duo with afternoon surgery. In-between he managed to ride Zero and keep the stallion fit. Scythe's pregnancy was progressing normally and she seemed content with her life. Heero had sat down with Duo and gone over the mare's feeding requirements for her pregnancy as well as her work load. They had both agreed to taper off the amount of work she was getting, not that she did much anyway, Duo simply didn't have the time to ride as much as he would have liked and Heero didn't have the time to work two horses so Scythe was reduced to one workout a week and that usually consisted of mainly walking through the leaf strewn tracks of the local countryside.

Heero insisted that Duo at least ride once a week, even if it was only for a half hour to give the vet some form of stress relief. Duo had to admit that the walks through the bushland did him the world of good and helped to maintain some form of muscle tone on the mare. She would need it when the time came to foal. As her pregnancy progressed so Heero increased her food intake, especially her oats, whilst she wasn't burning up much in the way of energy with the little work she was doing, the growing foal tended to take quite a lot out of her and Heero was determined she wasn't going to look like a hat rack again.

Quatre had dropped by regularly, usually at least once a fortnight and always came bearing a gift for Scythe. A bag of carrots was his usual present, he figured Heero could do with the help seeing how much the mare enjoyed them. He brought an apple once, saved from his lunch but Zero spotted it first and snaffled it. Duo thought he was going to have a seizure with the amount of laughing he did but he couldn't help it. The look of astonishment on Quatre's face when Zero pinched the apple was soon replaced by one of disgust as the horse proceeded to slobber all over the inspector.

Heero hadn't been joking when he'd said Zero tended to dribble all over everything when eating an apple.

With it now moving into winter, the horses tended to spend more time inside the stables. Heero would put them out for a few hours if the weather wasn't too bad. So far they'd only had a couple of days when it pelted down rain, mostly there were showers with lengthy breaks in-between, even if it was cold.

Heero had taken Zero to a few more shows, gradually building up the horse's confidence again. The leg had stood up to the rigors of competition well with no sign of the injury reoccurring. Heero attributed that to Duo's dedicated nursing of Zero immediately after an event. After every show the leg was hosed and the liniment applied whether it needed it or not. 

Duo called it preventative medicine.

Heero called it love.

Zero was still to face a really tough course though, Heero having taken him mostly to local shows where the competition wasn't as tough as the big league. The time was coming though for Heero to get him back out on the circuit if he wanted to make his dream come true. Heero decided it would probably be best to finish the season off early with one last show, turn Zero out for a month or two and then bring him back in and prepare him for the start of the new season back in the graded competition. 

The main part of the circuit had pretty much finished anyway, the bigger shows where the selectors attended would conclude towards the end of winter and as Heero wasn't in the running for anything it was pointless to push Zero any more than he had to. It would be far better to let the horse have a break now and then resume the work load come the spring. By the time the major shows were in full swing, Zero should be hitting the top of his form and Heero's chances of being noticed would be increased.

There was still one thing niggling in the back of Heero's mind though. The Ag show where he'd had his fall. Heero knew it was a psychological thing but he also knew he had to conquer that demon if he and Zero were to move on and have any chance of being noticed by the selectors in the future. He'd pushed it to the back of his mind for now though. The Ag shows wouldn't be coming around until the late spring - early summer, so he could worry about that later.

With Zero's work load being cut back a little Heero was able to take on a few more 'outside' clients and his financial position improved. In fact, both men, whilst by no means rich, were living quite comfortably. Heero had previously notified the E.F.A. of Zero's fall and subsequent spell from the show ring and graded competition, now came the time to re-register the horse and map out which shows Heero would take him to when the new season started up.

The pair of them had spent a lot of time going over the handbook provided by the Federation which listed all the qualifying shows, competitions and places where they were being held and working out what they thought would be a good season for Zero. Duo knew he wouldn't be able to attend all the shows with Heero but planned on being at as many of them as he could in order to offer moral support as well as the veterinary assistance for the horse. With the practice running full steam ahead, Duo rarely got a day off and this had begun to worry Heero. He didn't want his braided lover to exhaust himself and he could clearly see that happening if Duo didn't slow down.

He'd tried to get Duo to take some time off, relax a bit other than their shared rides but Duo's dedication to his job and his love of animals saw him unable to say no to any client, even if the client called in the middle of the night.

Heero looked out into the gray morning and sipped again at his coffee. He'd already put the horses out and cleaned the stables. The animals were eating their breakfasts and Heero had made up the evening feeds. Breakfast for himself and Duo was keeping warm in the oven, Heero intending to let Duo sleep as long as he could. A call had come in at ten the previous evening, a cow having trouble calving and Duo had duly gone out to help. He hadn't returned until two in the morning, filthy, bloody and exhausted.

Heero had dozed on the couch while awaiting his partner's return and as Duo had walked in the door Heero had taken one look at him and hustled the vet into the shower. With the fluids, blood and dirt washed off the vet; Heero had given him a hot chocolate to thaw out his insides then tucked the vet into bed before going to his own. The morning had dawned overcast but Heero doubted it would rain and rather than disturb Duo, he'd deliberately turned the vet's alarm off and seen to the horses himself.

Making up another coffee, Heero picked up the mug and wandered down the hall to Duo's bedroom. He knocked on the door but when he didn't receive a reply, he knocked again and then opened the door. There was a lump in the middle of the bed, buried beneath the thick doona,[1] the tip of a chestnut braid the only sign that it was Duo in the bed. With a smile Heero walked across the room and set the coffee mug upon the night stand. He peeled back the covers enough to locate Duo's sleeping face and paused for a moment. The vet was snoring gently and Heero really didn't want to disturb the man but he had to. He gently shook Duo's shoulder.

"Duo... Time to get up."

The body in the bed just snored on.

Heero tried again, getting the same result. He chuckled to himself and then eased forwards. He brought his face close to Duo's and then kissed the vet deeply. Pulling away, Heero watched in amusement as Duo's eyelids began to flicker and the vet shifted slightly in the bed.

"Mmmm... Now that's a nice dream," mumbled Duo and snuggled a little deeper into the pillow.

Heero gave a soft chuckle and reached in again, planting another kiss to Duo's lips.

Duo sighed. "It's not a dream, is it?" he muttered as his eyes opened and he blinked sleepily. "Time to get up already?"

"Morning, Duo," said Heero with a smile.

"What time is it? Mmm, do I smell coffee?" asked Duo as he rolled over to his back and yawned.

"It's just after seven thirty and yes, it's coffee. Want some?"

"Is the pope catholic?" Duo managed to lever himself up in the bed, leaning back against the head board and taking the offered cup of coffee. "Now that's what I call a nice way to wake up," he mumbled and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "What time did you say it was?" Duo tried to look at the clock but his vision was still a little blurry and his brain somewhere between reality and dreamland.

"Just after seven thirty."

"Shit! My alarm mustn't have gone off. The horses..."

"Already done. You had a late night with that call out so I thought I'd let you sleep in. I've fed the horses, cleaned the stables and put them out in the paddock. I don't think it's going to rain much, if at all, so it won't hurt them to stay out today. Breakfast is ready whenever you are."

"What did I ever do to deserve you, Heero?" smiled Duo. "Thanks, you have no idea how much I appreciate it. I'll get up and get dressed."

"Okay. I'll go get myself changed and ready for work. Meet you in the kitchen in a few." Heero leaned in and stole another kiss before leaving the vet to get up and get dressed.

Ten minutes later they were in the kitchen and tucking into the breakfast Heero had made. "You got much booked for this afternoon's surgery?" asked Heero as he bit into his toast.

"One castration and a cyst removal. Both dogs, both being dropped off this morning."

"Need a hand?"

"The castration will be fine, might need some help with the cyst removal though."

"Okay. I should be home around one-ish. Don't start without me."

"And have you miss out on all the fun?" Duo cocked an eyebrow and gave his boyfriend a grin.

Ignoring the comment, Heero changed topic slightly. "How was the cow and calf? You were gone for quite a while."

"Breech presentation with a leg laid wrong. Took a while but I managed to get the leg brought around and then deliver the calf. Fortunately it was still alive."

"Sounds like it was a tough one."

"Sure was. It felt like my arm was being crushed after a while there." Duo declined to mention that he'd had to deliver the calf whilst lying on the floor of the barn as the cow had lay down and refused to get up, hence his rather bedraggled state when he'd come home. He would have to wash his hair today, he'd been too tired last night when he'd gotten back and was sure he'd got cow shit in it somewhere.

'Heifer or bull?"

"Bull calf, big bastard too. Nice looking animal though so I'd say the farmer is going to keep it entire."

"Aa."

Duo stood up and took his empty plate to the sink. "Thanks for breakfast, Heero, and for the sleep in, it was nice."

Heero also stood up and dropped his plate to the sink before wrapping his arms around his partner. "You're most welcome, Duo. Love you." Heero kissed the vet. "I'd better go grab my shit and head for work."

"Love you too, Heero. I suppose I should go on up and get ready for the morning consults."

"I'll see you later on. Don't work too hard," said Heero as he released Duo and went to get his briefcase.

"Same goes for you too, Heero. I'll see you at lunch." Duo turned to the sink and began to run the hot water to wash up.

* * * 

When Heero returned from work there was no sign of Duo in the house so he grabbed a sandwich and headed up to the surgery to locate his missing boyfriend. Sure enough, Duo was sitting behind the reception desk wrestling with the computer.

"Fucking no good piece of shit. I should have you strung up by the circuits!"

"Strung up by the circuits?" inquired Heero with a smirk as he stuck his head around the doorway of the reception area.

"AGH! Shit! You frightened the living daylights outta me, Heero!" Duo all but yelled.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Heero walked into the room and ran his fingers over Duo's cheek. "What's up?"

"This piece of crap. All I want to do is transfer this data from here into the files here and the son of a bitch won't let me. I'm just about ready to put my fist through the screen," snarled Duo as he gave the innocent looking computer a glare that should have fried its solenoids.

"Here, let me try." Heero plonked himself down in Duo's lap and began to toggle the mouse and type in commands. Seconds later the job was complete. "There you go, all done."

"No one likes a smart arse, Heero," Duo huffed as he peeked at the machine. "Is it really done?"

Heero laughed and then turned around in his boyfriend's lap. "Where's my kiss of gratitude?" he asked as he wound his arms around Duo's neck and stroked his fingers along the nape of that neck.

"Asshole,” replied Duo but there was a grin on his face and he leaned in, wrapping his arms around Heero's waist and stealing those luscious lips in a torrid kiss. "Thanks."

"My pleasure," replied Heero. "Busy morning, I take it?"

"You could say that. There's a mountain of paperwork to put on the computer and I was hoping to have had it all done by the time you got home so that you wouldn't have to do it tonight during consults or after. I would have had it done too if Nrobbuts here had cooperated. I don't know about you, Heero, but I feel as if I haven't spent much quality time with you lately and I really want to snuggle."

Heero couldn't help the warmth that spread through his body with Duo's words and the accompanying pout. "I want to snuggle too, Duo. I've missed cuddling on the couch and watching telly together." Lately they had sat down together of an evening intending to cuddle but within five minutes of relaxing either one or both of them had fallen asleep!

It was frustrating to say the least.

"Why don't you go get started on your surgery and I'll finish up the paper work here then join you for the cyst removal?" said Heero as he eyed the paper work. He was pretty sure he could knock it all off within a half hour.

"Are you sure, Heero?"

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it. Now, shoo, you go do what you do best and separate that dog from its balls. I'd rather stay here whilst you do that if you don't mind." Heero could feel his own balls shift and squirm with the thought of the castration Duo was going to perform on the dog. It was something he really couldn't get used to.

Duo chuckled completely understanding where his boyfriend was coming from. "Okay. I'll go and remove Snowy from his assets while you sort out the computer and paperwork. Come on down when you're done."

"I will." Heero gave his boyfriend a quick kiss and then stood up to allow Duo to get out of the chair and head for the small operating theater. Once the vet was gone, Heero cracked his knuckles and looked at the computer. "Right, let's get one thing straight, Nrobbuts, I'm the intelligent one here, you are a machine, not A.I.; just a machine, a bunch of wires, circuits and chips; understand? Good. Now, let us see what we can do..."

* * * 

"Pass me that swab will you please, Heero?"

Heero picked up the swab and handed it over. Duo dabbed at the area, soaking up the blood so he could see the base of the cyst easier. The used swab was tossed to the side and Duo gingerly fished around with his forceps, locating the section of the cyst where it would be easiest to remove. 

"Long nosed scissors."

Heero handed over the item.

Duo blew a droplet of sweat from his nose and then snipped at the base of the cyst. "Go you, you little bugger." He grasped the now free cyst with his forceps and dropped it to the kidney dish. "Fuck! More swabs, Heero, quick."

Grabbing a bundle of the swabs, Heero passed them over, noting the blood running freely from where Duo had just cut the cyst. "Shit! Why is there so much blood?" he asked as he prepared to hand over more swabs as Duo needed them.

"The cyst," replied Duo. "For some reason cysts and tumors have a rich blood supply. Damn. I need you to thread me up one of those needles, Heero. I'm going to have to suture this one vessel, it's not going to stop on its own."

Heero pulled off a length of silk and threaded the needle, handing it to Duo. "Want me to keep swabbing whilst you stitch?"

"If you can that would be a great help."

Heero began to pack a few more swabs around the operation site.

"Shit, Heero! Not there, I can't see where to stitch," growled Duo.

"Sorry."

"Just watch where you're swabbing and where I'm stitching, okay?"

Heero could detect the irritation in Duo's voice as well as something else. It sounded like exhaustion.

"Scissors."

Heero passed over the small scissors.

"Not those ones, the really thin nosed ones, geeze."

Heero declined to say anything but passed over the other scissors. Duo didn't usually use those ones, he used the original ones Heero had passed him.

"Good, it's stopped." Duo straightened a little and wiped his sleeve across his forehead, the material soaking up some of the sweat. "Right, now to sew up the rest of him."

Keeping his silence, Heero handed over another needle and silk along with a fine pair of forceps. Duo began the arduous task of stitching up the layers of muscle and skin. By the time he'd finished both of them were physically and mentally exhausted. Duo took the sleeping dog from the operating table and set him on a blanket on the floor to recover. Snowy was just starting to come out of his anesthetic and Duo was quick to check him. 

Heero busied himself by cleaning up the mess, collecting all the used swabs and other unmentionable bits and putting them in the rubbish. The instruments were gathered together and rinsed before being placed in the autoclave for sterilization. Collecting the surgical cloths, Heero dropped them on the bench by the door ready to be picked up and taken to the house to be washed, providing Gertrude was in a sensible mood and would work.

"I'm going to take Snowy back to the kennels, keep an eye on Rusty for me, would you?"

Heero nodded and narrowed his eyes as he watched Duo bend and pick the dog up. He could see the effort it took for Duo to carry the dog. "Would you like me to take Snowy to the kennels?" he asked.

Duo turned and faced his boyfriend. "I can manage," he replied a little curtly and then left.

Heero sighed and turned his attention back to cleaning down the table and then mopping the floor. He'd just finished when Duo returned.

"Fuck! I thought I asked you to keep an eye on Rusty?" Duo snapped and quickly headed across the floor to where the dog was trying to get to its feet. 

"I was," Heero said in defense. "He was fine a moment ago, he's only just this second tried to get up."

"The last thing I need is for him to be trying to stand up right now. He'll bust his stitches if we're not careful."

Heero's eyes darkened as a frown spread over his face. "I'll carry him through to the kennels. Everything is done in here and I think we need to talk, Duo." Without waiting for the vet to respond, Heero picked the dog up and marched off to the kennels.

Duo rubbed a weary hand over his face and hung his head. He'd snapped at Heero when he had no right to. He sighed and turned to follow his boyfriend. He knew Heero was upset with him. Hell, Duo was upset with himself too and couldn't blame Heero for being mad at him. Miserably he headed down the hall to the kennels.

***

"Sit," commanded Heero as the pair walked into the kitchen at the house.

Duo complied, pulling out a chair and sitting at the kitchen table. His eyes tracked Heero as the man busied himself making them both a hot drink. Mugs set on the table, Heero sat opposite his boyfriend and looked Duo squarely in the eye.

"Duo, we really need to talk," Heero began only to be interrupted.

"I had no right to snap at you like that, Heero. I'm sorry," said Duo and hung his head, unable to meet Heero's eyes.

"Forget that for a moment, Duo. It's not the snapping at me that has me worried, it's the reason behind it that's got me concerned."

"Pardon?"

"Duo, this isn't like you. You're a happy person, not prone to biting my head off like that. There's another reason for your irritation and I'm pretty sure I know what it is."

"You do?"

Heero took one of Duo's hands into his own. "You've been working flat out these past few weeks, you've hardly had a break at all. If it isn't the consults, it's surgery; when it's not surgery, it's call outs. Duo, you can't keep going like this, you're running yourself into the ground and if you don't stop soon you're going to collapse from exhaustion."

"I get a break on the weekends, take Scythe for a ride or go to a show with you on a Sunday," retaliated Duo.

"That's not enough. Half an hour ride isn't going to relax you much and going to the shows, well that's just as emotionally draining on you as doing consults. I know, I'm the one in the saddle so I can well appreciate the stress you're under from watching and helping."

"Heero, I can't afford the time off for a vacation," said Duo wearily. "I know what you're saying and I do agree with you, but the practice is expanding so much that I have no choice but to keep going. If I don't then the clients will go elsewhere and there goes my bread and butter."

"Duo, I'm not suggesting that you give up your clients and I'm not suggesting that the practice cut back at all. But that is the root of the problem. Look, the way the practice is growing it's getting too much for just you to handle, even with my help. May I make a suggestion?"

"Do I have to accept it?"

Heero smiled. "No. No, you don't but I would like you to hear me out before you shoot me down in flames."

"Okay." Duo gave the accountant a lopsided grin.

"The practice is well and truly established with a steady clientele and a good cash flow. Maybe you should consider taking on another vet to share the load or even a vet nurse. The practice can afford to pay for an additional employee. I'd suggest another vet, that way you can have a couple of days off a week."

Duo's eyes darkened as he considered Heero's words. "The paperwork is still going to be there though and if I do take on another vet then the paperwork is going to increase too."

"That brings me to my next suggestion." Heero licked his dry lips.

"I can't stretch to a receptionist as well."

"I wasn't going to suggest that."

"Then what?"

"I'll quit the accountancy firm and work here full time. I can be both vet nurse and receptionist as well as keep the books for you, that way you would only need to hire another vet."

Duo's eyes widened at Heero's proposal and he thought deeply before replying. "You'd do that? You'd quit your well paying accountancy job and work here with me?"

"Hai, I would, and it's not that well paying either. Duo, you need help whether you're prepared to admit it or not and I'm not about to stand back and watch you work yourself into the ground. I care about you, I love you and I won't have you collapsing of exhaustion. You can see for yourself just how much of an impact these past few weeks have had on out relationship. You're working non stop and it's making you irritable, snappy and we don't have any time for us anymore. I miss you, Duo. I miss our cuddling on the couch, the occasional dinners we used to enjoy, giving you riding lessons and doing the horses together." Heero trailed off and lowered his eyes.

"I don't know, Heero. This is something I'm going to have to think about; there's a lot to consider." Duo sat back in his chair and ran his hands through his bangs. "I'm not saying it isn't a good idea, it is. But, I need time to think this through, look at the facts, the ins and outs, the pros and cons before I make a decision."

"I wouldn't expect you to make up your mind here and now. What I've suggested is simply a proposal, a possible solution to the problems we're experiencing right now. Look..." Heero fished in his briefcase and pulled out a folder. "I went over everything from the financial side of the practice through to the man hours and all that other stuff. I've set it all out so you should be able to follow it okay. It will give you a clearer idea of how the practice could work and still be a profit making business with the employ of another vet, yourself and myself in the capacity of receptionist, bookkeeper etc. Take a look while you think over what I've said."

Duo took the manila folder and opened it. He had a quick scan through and had to admit it looked very professional. "I think I might go through to my bedroom for a bit and look over this as well as consider your proposal. Would you mind?"

"Of course not. I'll go saddle up Zero and take him for a ride; I think we could both do with a little time out."

"Thanks, Heero." Duo stood up and walked around the table to where Heero was still sitting. He leaned down and kissed his boyfriend. "I am sorry I snapped at you before, you were only helping me and I let my irritation get the better of me. I wouldn't have blamed you if you'd thrown those swabs in my face."

"I wouldn't do that to you, Duo," smiled Heero. "If I did, it would only mean I had more of a mess to clean up."

Duo chuckled. "Can't say I'd fancy a face full of bloody swabs either."

Smiling, Heero returned the kiss. "You go think about what I've said and have a look through the folder, I'm going to go take Zero for that ride, I should be back in about an hour to an hour and a half."

"Okay." Duo picked up the folder and his mug and headed through to the solitude of his bedroom to think over Heero's proposal.

Dumping his mug into the sink, Heero sighed. He hoped Duo would look at his suggestion for what it was. It had been tricky to say the least, approaching the vet with the problems Heero could see raising their heads. Duo was so flat out working he didn't have the time to see what was happening. At least Heero was still in one piece so that had to account for something. Grabbing his boots and pulling them on, Heero headed out the back door and to the paddock to fetch Zero. A good gallop would help to clear his head and put him in a better mood.

* * * 

Duo flopped onto his bed and thought on Heero's words. If he sat back and took a long close look at the current situation he had to admit Heero was right. He was working himself into the ground for the practice and slowly but surely it was killing him. He couldn't remember the last time they had shared a cuddle, a proper cuddle. He had problems remembering when they last went out for dinner or to a movie or any place that wasn't a client's home or a horse show.

"God, I'm tired," he muttered to the walls and then flipped open the folder. Heero's neat handwriting stared back at him and Duo began to read. The income and outgoing were clearly listed in columns, the number of man hours spent in consults and surgery added up and then there was the outside calls as well. If Duo hadn't been feeling tired before he would certainly be exhausted now simply by looking at the number of hours he'd put in; and that was only two weeks ago!

Heero did have a valid point. Duo needed to slow down and soon otherwise he would find himself not only worn out but without his partner. Heero wouldn't wait for him forever and Duo sorely missed their snuggle and make out sessions.

He flipped over a couple of pages and studied the information. Heero had also taken the time to outline a viable working arrangement should Duo decide to take his suggestion. The hours the new vet would work and the hours he would work were a lot more manageable. The roster system Heero outlined gave Duo every second weekend free and spared him a couple of consults during the week as well. Duo could clearly see that there was room for expansion without causing any further stress. 

He smiled as he noted that Heero had also thought to include the projected hours for himself as receptionist come vet nurse.

No matter which way Duo looked at it, the figures added up. He sighed again. Heero was very thorough in what he'd done and the sensible thing would be to go along with it. Duo wasn't stupid; he knew that what he was looking at was the best option, not only for the sake of his health but also his relationship. The practice would still continue to grow and with a second vet he could take on more clients without pushing himself. 

The only thing Duo wasn't comfortable with was Heero giving up his accountancy job and working for the practice full time.

Duo rolled to his back and studied the ceiling. He let his mind wander where it wanted and mulled over the problem.

"That's it!" he suddenly said and sat up on the bed. He grabbed a pencil and quickly did some calculations. When he'd finished he compared his notes to what Heero had suggested and a smile spread over his face. "Perfect." Now all he had to do was wait for Heero to come home to let him know his decision.

Feeling happier than he had in days, Duo left his bedroom and went to do battle with Gertrude the washing machine and get the surgical cloths washed. Heero wouldn't be back for a while yet so he could do those, check on Rusty and Snowy then see what he could find in the 'fridge for dinner.

Humming to himself, Duo set about his tasks, eagerly awaiting Heero's return so he could put his decision and proposition to the accountant.

~ * ~ 

tbc...... 

 

[1] Doona: This is like a quilt, usually thick with feathers or man made fibers and is extremely warm. I guess in other places in this world they are called things like Duvets, Quilts, Comforters etc. Here in Aussie we call them Doonas. :)


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34 

When Heero returned from his ride he gave Zero a thorough brush down and towel off. The horse had cooled on their way back but Heero didn't want to run the risk of Zero catching a chill. Once Zero was clean, Heero put the thick rug back on and led the horse into his stable. He fetched the feeds and dumped them into the feed bins, along with several carrots. With the gear put away, Heero went to fetch Scythe from the paddock, checked her rug and made sure she was comfortable. The mare's belly was beginning to swell with the growing foal and Heero ran his hand over her flank.

"Won't be too much longer, Scythe," he said softly and let his mind wander to the foal. Would it be a colt or filly? What color would it be? Would it have any markings? "Shit!" he muttered. "Anyone would think I was an expectant father." With a chuckle at his own idiocy, Heero checked the stable doors and then switched off the lights before pulling the large door across and securing it for the evening. His feet crunched on the gravel drive as he made his way back up to the house, glancing at his watch. He would have just enough time to change before evening consults would be upon them.

With the onset of winter they were bringing the horses in early, if they waited until after consults it would be too dark and cold and Heero didn't want the animals out in the cold evening air, especially Scythe. He wondered if Duo had thought much on his proposal and if so what his comments would be. There was only one way to find out though and taking a deep breath, Heero opened the back door and stepped inside.

The warmth of the kitchen was a welcome relief to the cold of the outside and Heero took a moment to appreciate it before slipping off his boots. "Duo?" he called as he padded across the kitchen floor in his socks.

"In here," came the reply from the lounge room.

Heero walked through and found Duo sitting on the couch, the folder on the coffee table and a thoughtful look on his face.

"Have a good ride?"

"Yeah, it was exhilarating," replied Heero as he sat down on the couch next to Duo. "You read the notes and think about my proposal?"

"Yes, I did."

"Questions?"

Duo took a moment to compose himself and then turned to face his boyfriend. Taking one of Heero's hands in his, Duo looked the accountant square in the eye. "I've thought about what you said and I agree, I can't go on like this, Heero. It isn't fair to me, the practice or to you. We aren't getting any time to spend together and that's not good for our relationship and I don't want to give you up. I don't want to give up the practice either and what you suggested about hiring another vet makes good sense. Another vet would lighten the load on me and also give the practice the chance to expand further. However..."

"Hai?"

"The facts and figures all add up, you did an excellent job of that by the way."

"Arigato. I'm not an accountant for nothing," Heero said with a grin.

"You're a damn good one, Heero," Duo said fiercely. "And that brings me to my last point. You leaving your current job and taking on the role of vet nurse-come-receptionist."

"Duo, I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't want to do it," began Heero.

Duo waved a hand in the air. "Will you let me finish?"

"Sorry."

"I don't think that trading jobs is going to benefit you financially, Heero. I did a few of my own calculations and I figure you'd be earning less working at the practice than what you are now with the part time job. But…" Duo gazed deep into Heero's eyes. "If I do take on another vet then I am also going to need a full time person to cope with the paperwork and stuff. Heero?"

"Hai?" Heero didn't really understand what Duo's problem was, he was happy to take a cut in wages if it meant he could be here, with Duo and helping the vet out.

"After going through all the facts and figures I've decided I can't afford to employ you full time in that capacity..."

Heero's face fell.

"...but I have another proposition for you. I'd like you to become my partner."

The words sank into Heero's brain. Duo wanted him to become his partner? Heero was about to open his mouth and say that same sex marriages were not permitted when the true sense of the word 'partner' hit him like a freight train. Duo wanted him to become a partner in the practice.

"Here, take a look at the figures, Heero. They're not as neat or organized as yours but you can see the general outline of the proposition."

"You want me to be a partner in the practice?" Heero whispered.

"Only if you want to, Heero. I've outlined the costs, initial and ongoing, and then there's the profit margin after expenses and I think you will agree that it would be more profitable in the long run for you to be a partner rather than an employee. Heero? Heero, are you listening to me?" Duo waved a hand in front of Heero's eyes, the man had a far away look on his face and Duo was becoming a touch concerned.

"A partner?" Heero said again, his eyes unfocused.

"Yes, I do believe that's what I said," Duo stated with an amused smile.

"In the practice?"

"Well, we can't get married so I guess a partner in the practice is the topic here," chuckled Duo.

Of all the things that Duo could possibly have proposed to Heero, this was the last thing he would have thought of. Calling his wayward senses back to heel, Heero thought about what Duo had said and reached for the folder. "May I?"

"By all means. Like I said, my calculations aren't as neatly organized as yours but you will get the general outline. Here, this is the initial outlay..." Duo began to explain his proposal to Heero, pointing out his calculations and seeing what Heero thought.

They spent a good fifteen minutes going over the facts and figures and Heero had to admit that Duo's return proposition was a good one. "Would you mind if I went over this a little more thoroughly after consults, Duo? It all looks fine but I’d like to study it a bit more before making a commitment either way."

"That's fine, Heero. In fact I'd be insulted if you didn't go into it in more depth. If you do decide to become a partner we will need to visit the bank and solicitor as the paperwork will need to be drawn up and all that other shit to make it legal."

"Thanks." Heero glanced at the clock. "Shit! We'd better get a move on, Duo. Consults start in five minutes and I'm not even changed yet."

Duo rolled his eyes. "Fuck, he's not even given me an answer and he's already acting like the boss," he snickered.

Heero opted to give Duo a glare and then a quick kiss. "I'll be ready in two," he said and charged off to get changed.

Duo watched him go, a smile on his lips and then got up to go and open up the surgery.

***

Over the course of the next two days, Heero fully investigated Duo's proposition. He checked the facts, the books, the bank accounts and records of the practice. He ran a program through his laptop for projected income/profit for the practice based on current figures. He modified the program and ran it again taking into account the extra employee, insurance and tax costs. He made an appointment with his own solicitor and discussed the legal aspect in depth.

Whilst Heero was doing his own investigating, Duo stayed quiet, pleased that Heero was being thorough in his research. He didn't mind his boyfriend probing into the records of the practice, he had nothing to hide and everything to gain. Whatever information Heero needed or asked for, Duo willingly gave. He'd decided to put off advertising for a vet to join the practice until Heero had made up his mind whether or not he was going to become a partner. If the accountant did then Duo wanted Heero to be a part of the selection process for their new assistant.

Arriving home from work three days later, Heero wandered into the house to find Duo just finishing up with the vacuum cleaner. The radio was blasting away and Duo was dancing and singing along with the music, hips swaying as he pushed the head of the vacuum over the carpet in the lounge. Heero leaned against the door jamb an amused smile on his face as he watched and then shoving off he approached his boyfriend and went to drop his hand to Duo's shoulder.

"She seems to have an invisible touch... yeah! She reaches in, and grabs right hold of your heart... Ahhh, FUCK!" Duo whirled around as he went six feet into the air. "Shit! Heero!!"

Heero couldn't help but laugh at the expression on Duo's face. "Sorry," he snickered. "Couldn't help myself. Invisible touch?"

Muttering under his breath about idiotic boyfriends and cardiac arrests, Duo pushed the off button on Fido and then went to turn the stereo down. "Phil Collins, classic song," huffed Duo as he turned back to the vacuum cleaner and cautiously checked where the cord was sitting before unplugging it and preparing to hit the rewind button. The cord snaked across the carpet, zipping along and gaining speed. As it passed Heero's ankles so it gave a flick and the plug scored a perfect hit.

"OW! Shit!" yelled Heero as he hopped on one foot, rubbing his ankle.

"Justice is served," said Duo with a grin and patted the vacuum cleaner. "Good boy, Fido."

"Bastard," hissed Heero as he sat down on the couch and examined the bruise appearing on his ankle.

"Serves you right for frightening the shit outta me," retorted Duo but then he relented and snuck across the carpet. "It didn't do too much damage, did it?" he asked a little concerned as he tried to see Heero's ankle.

"I'll live," replied Heero and moved his hand away for the vet to see the bruising. As Duo leaned in for a closer look so Heero grabbed him and planted a sloppy kiss to Duo's lips.

"No fair," said Duo as he was released and then with a grin he climbed up onto the couch and wormed his way into Heero's lap, winding his arms around the accountant's shoulders as he straddled Heero's hips. Duo locked eyes with his partner then kissed the tip of Heero's nose before pressing a chaste kiss to those sweet lips. He continued to peck at Heero's lips as he questioned his boyfriend on his morning at work. 

Once the 'inquisition' as Heero dubbed it was over, Heero dropped his own bombshell. "Duo?"

"Mmm?" Duo was busy nuzzling at Heero's throat.

"As you know I've been going through everything related to the practice and your proposal... Ahhh, a little to the left."

Duo's mouth duly traveled slightly to the left to suckle at the skin just below Heero's ear. "And?" Duo breathed over the heated skin.

"I'm impressed with the way the practice has grown and there is plenty of room for it to continue to grow... Keep that up and I won't be responsible for my actions..." Heero squirmed as Duo's tongue teased his ear.

Duo snickered and nibbled on Heero's ear lobe. He pressed a little closer, wriggling his backside in Heero's lap and feeling the hardness rising slowly beneath him. "I know there's potential for growth, that's the idea of hiring another vet, ease my workload and expand," whispered Duo and then kissed along Heero's throat.

"After studying all the pros and cons and going over it all with my solicitor... Ahhh... ohhh... feels good." Heero pushed his pelvis upwards scoring a little friction for his length and feeling Duo's hardness pressing against his belly.

"Yes?" Duo huffed.

"Where was I?"

"Somewhere around here I think," replied Duo as he pushed against Heero's erection with his backside.

"Aaa." Heero snaked a hand between their bodies and palmed Duo's hardness by way of retaliation.

"Ohhh... shit..." moaned Duo.

"Mmm... The solicitor is in... Ah, nice... agreement and can't see any reason... fuck that's good," groaned Heero as Duo's mouth latched onto a nipple and sucked. Heero didn't know when Duo had undone his shirt and personally he didn't care either.

"The solicitor can't what?" Duo paused in his ministrations for a moment to speak, his breath teasing over the hardening nub he'd just been suckling on. "Nnnn... More, Heero." Duo thrust his pelvis against Heero's hand that was skillfully working its way inside the open fly of his jeans.

"Huh?"

"The... Uhhh... solicitor. You were saying about the... Oh, god." Duo's words were cut off as Heero found Duo's hardness and began to rub against it inside his jeans.

"Ahh, yes, the solicitor. Nnn... Duo, I'm gonna come in my pants in a minute." Heero thrust repeatedly against Duo's rear, exciting himself further as Duo's mouth latched again onto his nipple.

Snickering softly, Duo continued to work the nub, at the same time he thrust his own arousal against Heero's teasing hand and consequently rubbed against Heero's trapped cock.

"Oh, fuck," groaned Heero. "Duo, in a nutshell I want to accept your proposal, I'll become a partner in the practice with you but as a silent one; now if you don't let me come I'm going to..."

All words ceased as the pair thrust frantically against each other, desperate to end the torment and find their release. Heero pushed hard against Duo's backside as his hand wormed inside Duo's boxers and began to stroke.

"Shit, gonna..." Duo thrust up and cried out as his orgasm found him and left him panting. Seconds later Heero also screamed his pleasure and flooded his pants with his seed. They slowed their movements and finally stilled. Heero still had his hand inside Duo's jeans and Duo was collapsed happily against Heero's shoulder. As sanity returned so they slowly parted. Sated violet found hazy blue and they locked gazes for a moment before joining together in a tender kiss.

"I do believe you said something about accepting my offer of a partnership?" Duo managed to breathe out.

"Hai, I did. Silent partner though."

"You didn't sound all that silent a moment ago," snickered Duo.

"Yuk," exclaimed Heero as Duo shifted and left his lap to sit next to him and he looked at the mess. Not only were his own pants becoming very uncomfortable with the stickiness inside, but Duo's release had also managed to seep through the vet's clothes and add to the problem.

"Messy," said Duo, stating the obvious.

"I think a clean up is in order before we discuss this further."

"I agree," replied Duo and stole a kiss. "Come on, let's get showered and changed then we can discuss the finer details over lunch."

"Sounds good to me," replied Hero and partook of his own kiss before standing and following Duo down the hall to the bathroom. "You go first, chuck your clothes out once you're stripped and I'll go put them to soak with mine."

"Thanks, Heero." Duo disappeared into the bathroom whilst Heero went to his own room to strip off then collect their respective clothing to put to soak.

* * * 

Over the course of lunch they discussed the partnership and Heero explained what his solicitor had suggested. Heero would buy into the practice and become a full partner, sharing the costs and profits from the practice. However, he would remain a silent partner, Duo having the main control over the vet side of things and Heero running the bookwork and accounts. Duo's sole name would remain on the brass plate outside the door as the proprietor and Heero would be added as the manager. Both men seemed happy with the arrangement and Duo made the necessary appointments with the bank and his own solicitor to have all the necessary paperwork done up in readiness.

Two weeks later they were joint owners of the 'Maxwell Veterinary Practice'.

Heero put in his notice at the accountancy firm and whilst they were sad to see him leave and did their very best to persuade him to stay, Heero's mind was made up. A small party was thrown on the Friday of Heero's departure and Heero was presented with a gold necklace that had a horseshoe pendant attached. 'For good luck' his fellow employees told him.

He was sad to leave the place, they had given him a job and helped him out when he'd needed it and Mr. Fairbrother told him there would always be a position for him with the company should he ever want or need it. Heero had only just managed to choke back his emotion as he left; he'd never enjoyed working for a company as much as he had working for Fairbrothers. 

Duo had taken him out for dinner that night to celebrate their partnership together.

Now working fully in the practice, Heero set about reorganizing the office. He cleared out the filing system and updated it, rearranged the furniture a little so it was easier for him to locate things and brought Nrobbuts up to grade.

Duo watched the changes with amusement. He didn't interfere, after all, the reception area was Heero's domain and Duo wasn't about to tell him what he could and couldn't do in there. Now if it had been the consulting rooms or kennels, Duo would have had a few words. Duo had his side of things set up the way he liked and could find anything he needed within seconds, it was only fair that Heero be able to do the same with the reception area.

Once the reception had been changed to suit Heero's needs the next problem arose. Getting a new vet.

Between them they drafted out an advert and put it in the city newspaper as well as the local one. The advert appeared two days later and within a week they had applications coming in. They sat together each evening going over the replies and resumes, noting down which ones would be suitable for the practice. Duo was extremely fussy about who he intended to employ. Besides having the necessary qualifications they also needed to have compassion for the animals and their owners as well as willingness to work. Duo wasn't about to see his hard work at establishing an excellent clientele as well as rapport with his clients all go down the toilet because of a vet with attitude.

Heero was looking at the more practical side of things such as age, gender and previous history. Between the two of them they narrowed the field down to five prospects. Those that hadn't made the grade were contacted, thanked for their application and wished good luck in their future careers. The remaining five were asked to come in for a personal interview.

Duo wanted to interview all of them on the same day with both himself and Heero present to ask and answer questions. Heero agreed and they drew up a rough copy of the questions they wanted answers to, which would give them a clear indication of who of the five would be the best candidate.

The interviews were organized and now it was a case of sitting back and waiting for their first applicant to arrive. They were doing the interviews in the surgery itself, that way they could show the applicants around and get a general feel themselves of how the applicant reacted to the set up.

The first prospect was a middle aged man who had been working for a practice further south. The practice was closing down and he needed to find alternate employment. Whilst his credentials were all good and there was no doubting his record of experience, Duo felt uneasy around the man. Oh, he was pleasant enough but Duo got the feeling that this man was a homophobe and should he find out about Heero and Duo's relationship, Duo got the distinct feeling the man could be trouble.

The second applicant was younger and not as experienced but pleasant enough in himself. Duo seemed happy enough with him and Heero didn't have any grave concerns either so they put him into the 'possible' pile. The third applicant was a woman and far too forward for Duo's liking. She had a good track record but appeared to Duo that she was more intent on discovering his and Heero's 'assets' than what the practice entailed. Having fended off what appeared to be a groping attempt to Duo, he dismissed the woman with a promise to 'let her know'.

"No fucking way!" snapped Duo as he flopped into the chair in the office, Heero snickering behind him. "Fine! Go ahead and laugh at my expense," Duo groused. "You wouldn't be so jovial if it was your ass she was trying to grab."

"She did try to grab mine," returned Heero. "I was better at avoiding her."

"Yeah, well..." Duo rubbed his ass cheek where the woman had managed to get a pinch in. "Who do we have next?"

Heero picked up the applicant's paper work. "A Roger Williams."

"Show him in then."

The guy was a couple of years older than Heero and Duo and seemed nice enough. He had a relaxed air about him and radiated calmness. He seemed pretty impressed with the practice and the way things were set up. Duo could feel Heero's like for the man growing and he had to admit that so far out of their final five this guy was by far the best. They shook hands and parted with the promise that Duo would let him know within the next twenty four hours what their decision was.

"Last candidate,' said Heero as he picked up the resume. "Another female."

"Great. Duo rolled his eyes. "I hope she's not an octopus like the other one."

"I'll get her," said Heero as he tried to hide his grin.

Duo looked up as the woman entered the reception office. She was a little shorter than he was with a mop of black hair. Her eyes were a soft blue and held a genuine warmth to them. She extended her hand and Duo took it, surprised at the feeling of strength in her handshake. 

"Doctor Maxwell. I'm Doctor Hilde Schbeiker. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure to meet you too, Doctor Schbeiker," said Duo as he ran his eyes over the woman. 

"Please, call me Hilde," she said and sat down in the seat Duo indicated and gazed expectantly at Duo.

Heero took up position on Duo's other side and picked up the paper work. "I'm Heero Yuy, Doctor Maxwell's partner," he said and then watched intently to see how the woman would react.

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Yuy. If you don't mind me asking, what is it that you do in the practice?"

Heero felt respect for the woman begin to grow. She was the first one who had asked about Heero's role in the practice. "I usually run the reception area, keep the accounts and act as vet nurse when the occasion calls for it."

"Then you must be pretty versatile," she smiled. "That's good. I've always found that it helps if people can turn their hand to helping out in other areas as the need arises."

Duo gave an amused smile. He was beginning to like this woman. "According to your resume you have worked in the Stanford Vet practice for the past five years."

"That's right."

"You're still employed there?"

"Yes, I am."

"Then why, may I ask, are you interested in this position if you already have a job?" Duo sat back and waited for the reply.

"Actually it's quite simple. I was offered a position with Stanford just after I graduated from vet college. I did some practical there when still going through the course and they liked my work enough to offer me a job once I qualified. I enjoy working there, the other employees are friendly enough and there is a steady clientele, but…" Hilde paused for a moment. "It's mainly small animal work and in the city, I'd like to get out of the big smoke and broaden my skills. Working in a country practice seems to be the best way to do that. I'd like to get some experience with the larger animals, horses, cattle that sort of thing. Don't get me wrong, I love cats, dogs and all the small creatures but I'd like to broaden my horizons and gain some experience with different species."

"I guess it would be rather hard to find a cow to treat in the city," stated Heero in a matter-of-fact tone.

"You betcha," grinned Hilde. "What sort of clients do you get here?"

The next ten minutes were spent explaining the running of the practice, the types of animals and cases they treated as well as the call outs and surgery they performed. Hilde asked intelligent questions in all the right places and seemed very interested. Duo took her for a look through the surgery set up and was pleased when the woman complimented him on how well the place was organized. It also went in her favor that she didn't try to get fresh with him.

Duo left her looking through the small operating theater and went to find Heero. "What do you think?" Duo asked his partner.

"So far she seems the best one. Intelligent, happy and genuine. Maybe we should introduce her to Scythe and Zero, see what she thinks about those two," said Heero.

"Good idea. I can also explain what the working hours would be and also the occasional outside call from Quatre and Trowa," said Duo as he turned to go and get the woman.

Hilde fell in love with Scythe. She showed no fear of the mare and fussed over her which pleased Scythe no end. Zero immediately became jealous and insisted on whinnying at the top of his lungs until Heero went and spoke to him. Duo chatted with the woman a bit longer and showed her the facilities in the stables for treating the larger animals of the practice, happy when Hilde showed a keen interest in his work with horses.

They strolled back up to the surgery, Hilde asking questions about the sorts of call outs Duo got and the type of clients he saw in the small animal part. When they returned to the surgery she made her excuse to leave, adding that she hoped they would consider her application as she felt she had not only a lot to offer the practice itself, but she would also gain valuable experience from working there.

Heero and Duo shook hands with the woman once more and told her they would give her a call that evening after consults to let her know what their decision was. Once Hilde had departed, Duo turned to Heero.

"Well?'

"It's up to you, Duo. You're the one that will be working the most with the new vet, regardless of which one we hire, I won't have to deal with them quite as much."

"I have to say I'm impressed with Hilde. She has a good knowledge and a lovely personality," said Duo lost in thought.

"I agree. I think she would get on well with the clients and she has a natural knack with the animals too."

"Shall we give her a trial run?"

"Why not?'

"I'll call her after consults then and offer her the position with a three week trial period first." Duo wrapped his arms around Heero's waist and hugged his boyfriend.

"I think you have made a wise decision here, Duo. She seems nice enough and I think the clients will all like her as well." Heero pressed a kiss to Duo's lips. "We'd better go bring in the horses before consults are due to start."

"I guess time will tell. I hope she works out okay, I have a feeling she will and I'm usually right with my instincts," said Duo softly.

"You are?" questioned Heero. "Since when were you one to trust in instincts?" he teased.

"I've always trusted my instincts, Heero. Why shouldn't I? They were right when it came to you, weren't they?"

Heero couldn't argue with that point.

* * * 

Hilde was duly notified and it was arranged for her to start work the following Monday. She organized a place to stay in the village whilst undergoing the three week trial. Duo had Hilde work with him for the first mornings consults and once she got into the basic running of the practice he let her take a few cases during the evening consults.

The feedback from the clients was promising, Hilde was similar to Duo in her approach to her care of the animals, taking time to interact with the owners as well as treat their pets. After two days, Duo let her loose to do consults by herself and was happy with the results.

At the end of the first week, Duo couldn't think how he'd coped without the other vet's assistance before. Needless to say the three week trial ended after only a week and Hilde became the new vet at the practice.

She took a couple of days off to hunt for a place to rent and move all her things from the city. Heero gave her a hand and she rented a house not far from the surgery. Once she was settled in the three of them sat down and worked out a viable roster plan. It gave Duo two weekends a month free and Hilde the other two. Duo got two nights a week free Hilde two and the rest they worked together. Heero took his days off on a rotating basis during the week; Duo covering the office whilst Hilde did consults one day and then swapping over on another day.

The three of them got on well together and if Hilde had a problem she was quick to ask for help, something both Heero and Duo admired and respected. All in all it was working out well and Duo was relieved at that.

Duo's health began to improve again and he wasn't short tempered or catty. He managed to relax and spend more time with Heero and the horses, something he'd sorely missed. Heero even managed to coax Duo onto Zero's back for a couple of riding lessons. It was during one of these lessons that Hilde found out the true nature of their relationship.

The three of them were in the paddock, Duo having a lesson from Heero whilst Hilde watched at the side, standing with Scythe and brushing the mare. Hilde and Scythe had taken to each other immediately and there wasn't anything Hilde wouldn't do for the mare. Heero had offered Hilde a ride on Zero but the other vet had declined. She was more than happy to handle horses on the ground but had no intentions of ever getting on their backs.

Duo was trying to get Zero to trot nicely, using his legs as Heero had taught him but Zero wasn't in the mood and was playing Duo up. Heero could see the stallion was simply saying to Duo 'make me' and Duo wasn't being firm enough. "Use your legs!" he shouted.

"I am!" Duo yelled back.

"He's putting it over you, Duo. Give him a good kick and let him know you mean business," shouted Heero.

Duo felt as if his legs were dropping off he was using them so hard. In his frustration he gave Zero a good hard kick as Heero had suggested. Suddenly everything around him lurched and the world spun on its axis.

"DUO!" screamed Heero as he took off at a run across the paddock. Duo had given Zero a good hard kick as Heero had asked but he'd caught the horse in the flanks and not in the ribs, startling the gray. Zero had reacted by leaping forward, the leap unseating Duo whose body tipped to the side and then with the follow up spring into canter, Duo slid over Zero's right shoulder and landed heavily on the grass. Feeling the weight of his rider leaving him, Zero pulled up and turned around, standing with his nostrils flaring at the man on the ground.

Hearing the cry and following thud, Hilde looked up in time to see Duo leave the saddle and land in a heap on the ground. Immediately she dropped her brush and sprinted across the paddock on Heero's heels.

Heero got to his partner just as Duo was pushing himself up. The fall had taken him by surprise and he was feeling a little winded but otherwise okay. Suddenly he had an anxious Heero kneeling beside him.

"You okay, Duo? Did you break anything? Can you walk, talk? Where does it hurt?" Heero had his hands roaming all over the vet's body searching for any sign of injury.

"I'm fine, Hero," Duo managed to wheeze out. "Just a little winded."

"Thank god," breathed Heero in relief. "You had me so worried there." Assured that his boyfriend was really okay, Heero leaned over and gave Duo a warm kiss. A discrete cough behind them reminded them of Hilde's presence.

"Oh fuck," muttered Heero under his breath.

"Um, guys, I don’t want to interrupt or anything, but is Duo all right?" she asked, the concern evident in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine," replied Duo as he stood up and dusted himself off. "Damn animal," he mumbled and gave Zero a glare.

Zero stared right back as if to say, 'Serves you right for kicking me'.

"Umm... Hilde. About that..." Duo began to explain flushing red.

"Duo, don't," began Hilde. "You don't have to explain anything to me. Look, I had a feeling that you two were more than just partners in the business but that's your affair and nothing to do with me."

"It doesn't bother you that we are in a relationship together?" asked Heero as he wrapped an arm around Duo's waist to steady him.

"No. Why should it?"

"Errr..."

"Guys, I don't give a damn what you two get up to, that's your business and no-one else's. It doesn't bother me in the least. Actually it was kinda cute to see the concern there and I'm not going to object if you want to kiss again," she teased.

Duo gave a sigh of relief and then opened his eyes wide as the last of the woman's words sank in. Before he had a chance to land any objections, Heero took his mouth again in a searing kiss.

Hilde cheered them on. "Way to go, guys!"

Heero gave her a wink.

~ * ~ 

tbc......


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35 

Winter progressed steadily, the cold winds and rain playing havoc with Heero's riding time, not to mention driving him mad with worry every time Duo had a call out. He was always on the edge when Duo left to visit a case, his mind supplying him with all sorts of horrible scenarios, Duo running off the road with the blinding rain, another car ploughing into Duo's as it lost control in the wet weather. Duo had reassured his boyfriend that he was perfectly capable of driving in such weather but despite Duo's confidence and abilities, Heero still couldn't help but worry.

Hilde had teased the accountant mercilessly over his 'protective' streak and dubbed him 'chook' as she insisted he carried on like a mother hen at times.

The new vet had settled into the routine of the practice well and Duo had no qualms about leaving Hilde in charge whilst he enjoyed his time off. If the woman had a problem with a case she always came to Duo with it and sought his advice, even though Duo knew that in some areas of veterinary medicine Hilde had had more experience than himself.

Winter finally started to come towards its conclusion and the spring flowering bulbs began to push through the ground indicating that the warmer weather wasn't all that far away. With spring just around the corner the practice began to gear up in readiness for the rush of work that always accompanied the onset of the warmer weather. The few farms that resided in the district were expecting lambs and calves and Hilde couldn't wait to get stuck into the larger animal work. Duo had tried to warn her it wasn't all a bed of roses; that quite often it was dirty, smelly and damn uncomfortable but Hilde's enthusiasm never waned. She'd wanted to learn more about the larger animals and she was determined not to let anything dampen that desire.

Duo had her accompany him on a couple of larger animal call outs. One to a bull that needed 'ringing' and another to a cow with overgrown cleats on her foot. The bull ringing hadn't been too hard. The animal was still young and fairly docile. Duo had had no trouble injecting the local anesthetic into the tough nose and then once the area was numb he'd brought out the nose 'punch' and quickly punched the small hole through the cartilage and then threaded the ring through, securing the screw. The bull was okay, the farmer happy and a shiny new brass ring in the bull's nose meant he could be handled easily. Hilde thought it had all gone well and looked easy enough, Duo hadn't told her about the strength you needed to apply to those punches in order to get through the tough membranes of the bull's nose. He figured she could do the next one when it came in and find out for herself.

The cow wasn't as cooperative. One of the cleats on her foot had become overgrown and was curling up and outwards making it awkward and uncomfortable for her to walk. It was a straightforward enough case, simply trim away the excess horn, level up the cleat and the cow would be fine. That was in theory.

The cow had other ideas.

She didn't want anyone touching her foot and let it be clearly known. As it was a hind leg as well, it made it even harder. Every time Duo would grab the leg the cow would kick violently, the hind leg pistoning frantically with Duo hanging on for dear life and trying not to get kicked in the process. Eventually they realized that this approach wasn't going to work so Duo tried another trick. They took a series of ropes and managed to rig them up around the cow's fetlock joint, between the legs and over a large beam inside the farmer's barn. Now the cow could try and kick as much as she liked but it wasn't going to happen. After that it took Duo half an hour to trim off the excess horn and level up the foot. By the time he was finished the sweat was running off him and he distinctly smelt of bovine, the cow having chosen another way in which to convey her displeasure.

She'd cocked her tail.

Hilde had shared the ride back to the surgery with the windows wound completely down despite the frigid air outside.

Heero had immediately hustled his boyfriend into the shower upon arrival back at the surgery and then attended to the bruises and scrapes the vet had gained whilst treating the cow. Duo swore that the next cow case that came in the woman could take it regardless of what it was and discover for herself the joys of large animal practice. Duo was seriously looking forward to some simple cases of vaccinations and nail clipping, preferably on cats and dogs. 

Heero was now well and truly at home in his office part of the surgery and had the area set up exactly how he wanted it. Duo found it much easier to ask Heero for a file or information than to try and locate it himself. Heero knew exactly where to put his hand on anything. Even Nrobbuts was behaving itself, something Duo found amazing. He still couldn't get the damn thing to work properly and he swore that he only had to look at the thing or make a move towards the mouse and it would instantly go blue screen on him.

To say Duo was happy to leave Heero to play amongst the files and electronics would be an understatement.

Scythe was getting larger by the day, her gut swelling out with the growing foal and Duo estimated the mare was roughly four to five weeks from foaling. Every night when the horses were brought in, Heero would check her over to make certain nothing was amiss. Duo checked her weekly and was happy with the progress of the mare and unborn foal.

Trowa and Quatre were regular visitors as well, always bringing a gift for Scythe, usually a bag of carrots. After the incident with Zero and the apple Quatre didn't dare bring another one within a ten mile radius of the stallion. He was sure that horse had apple radar. The inspector and animal shelter manager met Hilde and took to her immediately as did Hilde to them. The female vet had a naturally bubbly personality, similar to Duo's and you couldn't help but like her. She also had that soft, feminine touch which Duo discovered was a great asset to have in the world of veterinary practice. She had the knack of being able to turn even the surliest of clients into pussy cats.

Needless to say Hilde usually got the more difficult clients to deal with.

The guys didn't try to hide their relationship any longer around Hilde. The woman was smart enough to know how the world worked and what was acceptable and what wasn't. She made no reference or indications to their relationship during working hours, she was the complete professional. When they were together outside practice hours she was as comfortable with the two of them sharing their affections as she would have been with any other couple. It didn't matter one damn to Hilde that they were both guys.

It was the first day of spring, although you wouldn't have known it from the overcast skies and Heero went to check the mail box. He shuffled through the many envelopes and arranged them in stacks, those for Duo, the practice and any for himself. Once the pile was sorted he handed Duo's to him and began to go through the ones for the practice. They consisted mainly of bill payments, fliers for drugs or equipment or invoices. He sorted through them, placing them in the appropriate areas and then looked up as Duo came into the reception area a serious look on his face and letter in his hand. Hilde entered the building a few moments later ready for her morning shift and gave Duo a curious glance before turning her eyes to Heero who just shrugged.

"What's up, Duo?" Heero asked as he entered another payment into the computer.

"You remember the agricultural show I officiated at? The Salsbury one?"

"How could I forget?" said Heero flatly, it had been the one he'd had his fall at with Zero.

"This is a letter from Lady Une, the organizer. She wants to know if I will officiate again this year."

"That's good, isn't it?" said Hilde as she hung up her jacket.

"Yeah, it's good but..."

"What's the problem?" asked Hilde.

"Heero?"

"Hai?"

"You were planning on entering the show again this year, weren't you?" Duo turned his gaze to his partner.

"Hai. I've got the entry forms in the house. I was going to take Zero and finish off the season with that show. I haven't sent them yet though. Why?"

"If I officiate again it means I won't be able to help you like I usually do at the shows."

"Aa." Heero knew how much Duo loved going to the shows with him and helping him out with Zero. Heero also enjoyed having Duo there with him, the vet seemed to bring out the best in Heero and he always felt he rode better when the vet was there to offer support.

"Bull shit!" said Hilde.

"Pardon?" Duo turned to look at the woman.

"There's no reason why you can't still help Heero."

"How can I when I'm the vet on duty?"

"Simple. Geeze, don't you guys have any brains?"

"Huh?"

"Can I have a look at the letter, please?"

Duo handed the letter over to Hilde who quickly read it. "Duo, all it says is the organizers would appreciate it if the Maxwell Veterinary Practice would be the vet on duty for the duration of the show. It doesn't state you specifically."

"I don't follow," said Duo.

"The show is on the Sunday in three weeks time, correct?"

"Yes."

"The practice is closed other than emergencies on a Sunday, right?"

"Yes."

"Then write back to the woman and tell her that the Maxwell Veterinary Practice would be happy to provide a vet on duty for the duration of the show and that the vet will be me." Hilde gave Duo a smug look.

"Hilde, you're a genius!" said Duo and gave the woman a hug. "You sure you wouldn't mind doing it?"

"Of course I don't mind,” snorted Hilde. "It will be fun. At least I will be getting VIP treatment, lunch, refreshments and such, not reduced to sandwiches or that take away van stuff like you two will be."

"Bitch," stated Duo.

"And proud of it," retorted Hilde with a grin. "Go on, get Heero to write out your reply and tell her that I will be officiating in your stead as you have a previous engagement that you cannot get out of. That way the show will have its vet, Heero will have his groom and you will have peace of mind to chew your fingernails without feeling guilty."

"I do not chew my fingernails!" huffed Duo.

"Sure you don't," teased the woman.

"Makes sense to me," said Heero from his chair where he'd been listening in. "I can draft up a letter this morning and give it to you to okay. If it meets your approval, all you have to do is sign it and I'll post it when I do the mail run into the village later on."

"Okay. If you two are sure about this," said Duo.

"More than sure," said Hilde with a smile.

"Ditto."

"All right then. Go ahead and type up the letter, Heero. I'll take a look at it afterwards and then you can post it." Duo took the show committee's letter back from Hilde and handed it to Heero so he knew who to address the reply to. "Come on, Hilde, we have a shit load of appointments to get through this morning."

"Right behind you, oh fearless boss," snickered the female vet.

Duo rolled his eyes.

* * * 

The letter was duly typed up, signed and sent. Duo received a reply from the show committee three days later accepting and confirming that Hilde would be the vet on duty at the show. Entry passes were also sent along with an outline of the day’s activities and the role they requested Hilde play during the event. Duo had given Hilde as much information as he could based on his own experiences as vet on duty the previous year and the woman seemed happy enough with the arrangements.

Heero sent his entry form off and had received his receipt and copy of the program. His class wasn't due to start until one in the afternoon which meant they could go to the show mid morning and have plenty of time to get Zero ready.

Heero had entered the gray in the same class as he'd had his fall in the previous year. The open AM3 event. The fences would be roughly four to five feet in height with anything up to a six inch increase for the jump off.

Heero was looking forward to laying his demons to rest.

Duo was hoping he would survive the experience.

Hilde was contemplating opening a 'book' on the pair to see who cracked first.

* * * 

The Friday prior to the Sunday of the agricultural show rolled around and Heero had just finished working the stallion. Duo was watching from the safety of the trees, acting as assistant and putting the various jumps up as Heero asked. Scythe was dozing underneath a tree on the other side of the fence, her belly now huge with the unborn foal. From time to time she shifted her weight, resting one hind leg then shuffling to rest the other.

Duo kept watch on her out the corner of his eye. There was a niggling feeling in the back of his mind but he chose to ignore it for the moment, concentrating on Heero and the way that the gray was going. Despite having had a short rest and only being back in full work for a couple of weeks, the gray looked magnificent. His muscles rippled hard beneath satiny skin, his coat shone with good health and feeding and the animal's eyes were bright and alert. Since his return to full work, Zero's leg hadn't given him any trouble and Duo wanted to make sure it stayed that way. There had been no hint of lameness after any of the other shows Zero had been to and Duo was confident that there wouldn't be any further trouble from the ligaments or tendons given the treatment and Heero's protective measures.

They were going to be hard to beat come Sunday.

"I think that will do for today," said Heero as he let the gray stretch out his neck and relax. "I’ll take him for a bush ride tomorrow, that way he'll be fresh for Sunday." Heero brought the horse to a halt beside Duo and dismounted. 

Absently Duo stroked the gray's sweaty neck.

"You okay, Duo?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Heero."

"Got something on your mind?" asked Heero as he loosened the girth and ran the stirrups up.

"Not sure. I want to give Scythe a check over when we bring her in."

"Oh?" Heero turned to glance at the mare who was still dozing under the tree. "Something wrong with her? She looks fine to me."

"I've just got an uneasy feeling, Heero. I'd rather check her over and settle my mind, that's all."

"Okay, you're the vet," said Heero and leaned in to steal a kiss whilst Duo was distracted.

The kiss brought Duo's mind back to his boyfriend and he smiled. "You're going to knock them all for six on Sunday, Heero."

"Don't count your chickens before they're hatched," quoted Heero as he began to lead the stallion back to the stables. "I’ll be happy if we get around in one piece."

"You will, and you will go through to the jump off and totally cream the opposition," stated Duo with a grin.

"Cream the opposition?" asked Heero as he removed Zero's saddle.

"Beat them, thrash the pants off them, leave them floundering..."

"I get the idea, Duo," said Heero dryly.

Duo snickered and reached for a brush to begin brushing down Zero.

The stallion was soon cleaned up, rugged and put into his stable. Heero fetched the feeds whilst Duo went back out to get Scythe who was waiting at the gate for him.

"How you doing, girl?" said Duo softly as he slipped the halter onto the mare's head.

Scythe nuzzled Duo's pockets, looking for carrots.

Duo produced one for her and she crunched it happily. "Ready for your dinner?" Duo opened the gate and led the mare through. The pair strolled slowly towards the stables, Duo watching out the corner of his eye the labored gait of the mare that was now heavily pregnant. He still couldn't get rid of that niggling in the back of his mind. Once he had Scythe inside her stable, Duo removed the rug and fetched his stethoscope.

Heero wandered over and hung over the stable door as Duo examined the mare. "What do you think?" he asked, chewing on a stalk of hay.

Duo bent over and checked the mare's udder. "She's really bagged up, Heero." [1]

"She started to bag up just over a week ago," replied Heero as he slipped inside the stable to take a look.

Duo slid his hand underneath and felt the mare's udder. It was hot to the touch. He looked again, studying the teats intently. "I'd say she's starting to get candles, Heero. [2] What do you think?"

Heero approached the mare's flank and peered underneath. "You're right," he replied and then straightened up noting the mare shifting her weight again. "How long do you think?"

Duo gave a sigh as he thought deeply and then replied. "Somewhere in the next twenty four to forty eight hours I'd say."

"Fuck!"

"Yeah." Duo scratched the back of his neck as he was apt to do when something was worrying him. It wasn't so much the mare foaling, it was her timing.

"What are we going to do?"

Now that was a good question. They had Zero to get ready for the show tomorrow, the gear to organize and the car to pack. If Scythe didn't go into labor until the Sunday there was a new set of problems. Duo and Heero would both be at the show. Hilde couldn't stay with the mare either as she was officiating as the vet on duty.

"I guess I will have to stay here with her if she hasn't foaled by Sunday," said Duo. As much as he was looking forward to going to the show with Heero, he couldn't leave the mare, his conscience wouldn't let him.

"If you don't go than I won't either," said Heero.

"Now, Heero, there's no need for the both of us to miss out on the show," began Duo only to be cut off by his boyfriend.

"No, Duo. If Scythe goes into labor I want to be here for her. She is my responsibility even if there won't be much I can do. I wouldn't feel right going off to the show and leaving you here by yourself to cope."

"I think I'm quite capable of delivering a foal, Heero. Besides, most of the time mares deliver by themselves without any problems at all and the first thing the owner knows about it is when they get up the next morning and find the new arrival."

"I'm not saying you're not capable, Duo. You're a damn good vet, the best, but I won't leave you and Scythe by yourselves."

Duo knew he was having a pointless argument. Heero could be so stubborn at times. Duo sighed. "I guess we will just have to wait and see. Only Scythe knows when she's going to foal so we may as well just play it by ear for now."

Heero wrapped his arms around Duo's waist. "I think that's a good suggestion. Come on, I'm hungry."

They left the stables after securing the doors and headed back to the house. Duo immediately set to work in the kitchen, preparing their dinner whilst Heero went up to the surgery to see how Hilde was doing with the evening consults and put the necessary paperwork onto the computer.

* * *

Saturday morning dawned cold but with clear skies. Heero was up and out of bed early, going down to the stables to check on Scythe. He'd paid a late night visit to the mare with Duo before retiring and found her comfortable and not showing any further sign of foaling. It was with mixed feelings that he slid the large doors open and wandered inside just after day break, not sure if he would find an extra animal or not. Zero greeted him with a soft whinny but he bypassed the stallion, giving him a gentle pat to the neck as he headed for the mare's stable. Anxiously he peered over the door.

Scythe was standing at the rear of the stable, her belly still full with the unborn foal. Heero gave a sigh. He didn't know whether to be pleased or disappointed. He shook his head and went to the feed shed to fetch the horses’ breakfasts and put the animals out in the paddock.

Having put both horses out, Heero returned to the stables to find Duo already there and cleaning out Scythe's stable. "Still nothing," said Heero stating the obvious.

"I gathered that much," replied Duo with a smile. "If she had foaled you would have been back in the house in record time to wake me up with the news."

Heero laughed. "You're right, I would have." He turned and picked up the full manure bucket and took it outside to empty and then start on Zero's stable.

"When do you plan on taking Zero out?" asked Duo as he fetched both horses’ water buckets.

"I thought I'd take him out in the bush this afternoon. I can spend the morning after consults sorting through the gear for tomorrow, that's if we're still going."

Duo gave a sigh. "Heero, we are still going to the show, even if it's only you. Let's get everything ready anyway. The way I see it if we have the car packed then we are ready for either circumstance. If Scythe should foal now everything is ready for the show. If she doesn't foal and we stay here then it isn't going to take much to unpack the car."

"You're probably right," replied Heero as he leaned the rake up against the wall. 

"Scythe's not going to foal until she's good and ready to, she doesn't give a shit about shows, timing or anything else. This is Mother Nature at work here, Heero, and she won't be rushed for anyone."

Heero gave a smile. "I know. I'm just anxious. I want to compete and yet I don't want to leave Scythe if she's on the brink of foaling."

"That's understandable. You're concerned, Heero. Any horse owner would be the same."

"I thought it was supposed to be the father that got all worked up and paced the floor when his partner was in labor, not the owner. Look at Zero, he doesn't seem to give a damn!" Heero nodded out to the paddock where Zero had his face buried in his feed bin not caring about anything other than the food in front of him.

Duo burst into laughter. "Oh, Heero," he chuckled and shook his head. "Come on, let's get some breakfast then you can go for your ride whilst Hilde and I do the morning consults."

The pair left the stables and went back to the house, Duo still laughing and Heero on edge.

* * * 

Heero took the stallion out for a ride later that morning, by the time he returned the morning consults were finished and Hilde had gone home. Duo was in the house finishing up some chores when Heero stepped inside. They ate a quick lunch together before heading back outside and to the stables to sort through the gear Heero would need the next day. It was a part of going to shows that Duo enjoyed. Going through the different bits of saddlery, filling up the haynets, getting the water bucket, brushes and other seemingly endless items together.

They would pile everything in a heap in the middle of the floor then sort through and pack it all away into respective carriers and then try to fit it all into the car; no mean feat in itself with the amount of stuff Heero liked to take. Spare bridle, spare girth, spare stirrup leathers... Duo teased his boyfriend about the amount of 'spares' even suggesting that maybe he should take a 'spare rider'.

Heero had not been amused.

Duo was even less amused when Heero told the vet that Duo could be the 'spare' rider and jump Zero for him.

With the gear finally sorted out, Duo began the task of carting it out to the car and getting it packed away. He'd just managed to get the water bucket squished in alongside the spare haynet when he heard a whinny from the paddock. He peeked out from inside the boot of the car and strained his eyes to see the horses in the paddocks. He could make out Zero but couldn't see Scythe. He frowned and looked again, moving to the side of the car and scanning the paddocks. Then he saw her. She was over the far side by the large tree and alarm bells began to go off in Duo's head.

Without waiting to shut the trunk of the car, Duo turned and sprinted for the stables, yelling for Heero at the top of his lungs. "HEERO! Quick," he screamed as he charged into the stables and straight for the small drug room.

Heero looked up in alarm as Duo yelled for him and spun around as the vet came belting into the stables and straight into the drug room. "Duo? What's up? What's wrong?" he called as he headed for the drug room, his brows knitting together.

Duo came flying out of the drug room, a couple of bottles clinking in his pocket, the tip of the plastic cover of a syringe visible and stethoscope slung around his neck. "Scythe, I think she's foaling," he gasped out. "Come on, not a moment to waste."

Heero didn't need any further explanation; the words ‘Scythe’ and ‘foaling’ in the one sentence were enough to have him motivated and his feet running for the paddock, hot on Duo's heels.

The pair crossed the gravel driveway in record time, they sprinted across the paddock until they could see Scythe ahead of them, only then did Duo slow his pace to a brisk walk. "Don't want to startle her," he said quietly. "Heero, have you got her halter and lead rope?"

"Iie, I didn't think to grab it."

"Would you mind fetching it from the gate, please?"

"No problem." Heero turned around and shot off in the direction of the gate and the mare's halter. He grabbed it from where it hung and took off back across the paddock to where he could see Duo approaching the mare. Heero slowed to a walk as he got closer, noting that Duo was now at the mare's shoulder and talking in a soothing tone to her.

Duo approached Scythe carefully, talking softly to her to alert her to his presence. "Easy, girl, it's only me, I'm not going to hurt you, just want to check you out, that's all."

Scythe turned her head a little and saw Duo out the corner of her eye. She gave a low wuffle and then tensed as another contraction passed through her system. She didn't know what was happening, she wasn't in any pain as such, more like discomfort as her belly began to contract on a regular basis. Her instincts told her something important was happening but she didn't know what. She was scared. When the nice human showed up and began talking to her she wuffled her relief at seeing him. The gentle hand on her neck and shoulder reassured her that now that this human was here things would be all right. She pressed her muzzle against Duo's outstretched hand, seeking comfort.

"It's okay, Scythe. I'm going to take care of you, girl," said Duo softly hoping that Heero would hurry up with the halter. He needed to examine Scythe and he couldn't do that without her being restrained. He also sensed the mare's unease and knew that Heero's handling skills were going to be extremely useful right now. He heard Heero's soft footsteps coming up behind him and breathed a sigh of relief.

"How is she?" asked Heero as he approached and then slipped the halter onto the mare's head, buckling it up and petting the horse.

"Not sure. I need to check her out more fully. Can you hold onto her and reassure her whilst I carry out my examination, please?"

"No problem." Heero began to talk in low tones to the mare, stroking her ears, face and petting her gently. The trust she had in her eyes made his heart melt. After all she'd been subjected to in her past, the starvation, the neglect, that she could still find it within her heart to trust humans had Heero in awe of her. He continued to talk to her whilst Duo removed her rug and then got busy with his stethoscope and hands.

Duo listened to Scythe's heart rate, her breathing and checked her membranes. Then he ran his hands over the swollen belly, feeling the tautness of the skin and occasional tremble of muscle. Her udder was more swollen than it had been the day before and milk dripped freely from the teats. Moving to Scythe's rear end, Duo lifted the mare's tail and noted the relaxed state of the muscles. He checked the larger muscles of her rump, they too were loose and dipping in. Lastly Duo took out the lubrication from his pocket and applied some to his arm. Gently he slipped his hand and wrist inside Scythe's vulva, moving slowly as his hand felt along the passage. His face suddenly lit up into a grin and he removed his arm.

"How is she?" asked Heero anxiously from Scythe's head.

"She's definitely in labor, Heero. The muscles have all dropped and relaxed in preparation for foaling."

"How long?"

"Hard to say, but I don't think it will be much longer. I could feel the foal's front feet in the vaginal passage so the cervix has dilated quite a bit."

"What should we do? Should we take her inside to the stable? Fetch her a feed?"

Duo chuckled. "No, it would be best if we leave her out here in the paddock, Heero. She's comfortable enough at the moment and if we need anything at all we can easily get it from the stables. It's best to sit back and let Mother Nature take its course."

Heero looked frustrated to say the least. Patience and waiting had never been one of his strong points. He didn't know how Duo could remain so calm.

"Unclip the lead rope, Heero. Let her go and wander around a bit. We can sit here, watch and wait, okay?"

Nodding, Heero did as Duo suggested and then sat on the grass as the mare wandered a few steps away and lowered her head to graze for a moment. "How can she be so calm?" he thought out loud.

"Can't answer that one, Heero. I'm a vet, not an animal psychologist," smiled Duo and then dropped to the ground behind his boyfriend. Duo let his hands fall to Heero's tense shoulders and began to massage them. "It shouldn't be too long, Heero. Most mares tend to drop the foals within a half hour of the feet arriving at the entrance to the vulva."

"Aa." Heero closed his eyes briefly and relaxed into the massage. It felt good. They stayed like that for ten minutes then noticed a change in Scythe. The mare had stopped her grazing and gave a couple of low grunts and strains. Both men were on their feet immediately. 

"What's happening?' said Heero.

Duo walked quietly to the mare, speaking softly as he approached and then laid a hand on her flank. He managed to grab Scythe's tail and pull it aside as the mare grunted again and her belly tightened. "Heero, over here please." Heero was there in a flash. "Don't put the lead rope back on but stay at her head. Reassure her, pet her and talk to her. If she wants to walk around then let her, just follow and keep soothing her, okay?"

"Hai." Heero approached Scythe's head and did as Duo asked. Scythe rubbed her face against his chest and then grunted again.

"Feet are here," said Duo quietly.

Heero could feel his excitement mounting and continued to praise the mare. "That's it, Scythe, good girl. You can do this, Duo and I are here to help you."

Scythe gave another grunt and then moved off to the left, Heero and Duo following but staying out of her way. Heero could clearly see a pair of tiny hooves poking out but couldn't determine the color as they were still encased in the amniotic sac. Scythe gave a low whinny and stopped to paw at the ground. Across in the other paddock Zero began to walk the fence line, calling out from time to time.

"Now he acts like an expectant father," muttered Heero.

Duo laughed. "Oh, shit, look out, Heero." Duo grabbed Heero's arm and pulled his boyfriend to the side as Scythe buckled at the knees and lay down. "Not long now," he stated. They both stood to the side and watched as Scythe began to strain, the little hooves pushed out a bit more and then slid back inside.

The process was repeated over the course of the next fifteen minutes; Scythe would strain, the hooves would slip out a little further only to slide back in as the contraction eased. Duo began to frown as he watched the drama unfolding. He had an uneasy feeling in his gut. After another ten minutes passed without the little hooves gaining any ground, Duo thought it time to intervene. Scythe was sweating and getting nowhere fast.

"Heero, go by her head and talk to her. The foal is stuck and she's going to need some help to deliver it,' said Duo as he prepared to help the mare out.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to grab hold of those front feet and pull as she strains. I'm guessing that the shoulders are a little large on the foal and it's stuck in her pelvis. She won't deliver normally if we don't help."

"What if you can't help by pulling?" asked Heero.

Duo looked at his boyfriend. "I'm not even going to think about that scenario, Heero. Come on, she should have had this foal out fifteen minutes ago, the more she strains the weaker she's getting and I need her to help push."

Heero went to Scythe's head and fussed over the mare. He could see the fright in her eyes and did his best to reassure her. Scythe was really scared. She was straining and pushing as her instincts and hormones told her to but nothing was happening. Why she was straining she didn't know but she did know that there was some reward at the end of all this. She grunted and tensed again as another contraction rolled through her.

Duo settled himself behind Scythe, careful to keep out of the way of the mare's hind legs as much as he could. The tiny hooves were still sitting on the edge of the vulva and as Scythe gave another push so he could see the muzzle of the tiny foal resting on the forelegs. Quickly Duo grabbed the front hooves and held on as the contraction eased and the foal went to slide back in. As another contraction happened so Duo braced himself and began to pull.

The pair continued for a full five minutes; Scythe pushing and Duo pulling with each push. Gradually the foal began to slide a little easier and Duo distinctly felt the slip as the shoulders came through the pelvis. Seconds later Scythe gave an almighty shove and the foal shot out to land in a slippery mess in Duo's lap.

"Yes!" cried Duo as he reached for the muzzle and began to tear the amniotic sac, pulling the membranes from around the foal's muzzle so it could breathe.

Scythe had rolled up a little and turned her head to investigate the sounds and smells coming from behind and to the side of her. She gave a deep throated wuffle followed by a series of soft grunts and edged her nose closer to the bundle that was still sitting in Duo's lap. 

Heero couldn't contain himself. Tears shone in his eyes as he moved around to check out the newcomer. Duo began to ease the foal from his lap, pushing it towards Scythe who gave another heave and deposited the afterbirth in his lap as a replacement for the foal.

"Yuk! Thanks a lot, Scythe!" Duo looked down at his ruined clothes and sighed. He managed to push the afterbirth off himself and move away a bit, giving the mare a few moments with her newborn. Heero came to crouch beside him. "Congratulations, Heero. You're a granddaddy."

Heero couldn't get the silly grin off his face. "Is it a colt or a filly?"

"Dunno, I hadn't looked yet," replied Duo and then eased forwards to pull the sac from off the remainder of the foal's body. 

Scythe was busy licking away, deep rumbles coming from her chest as her mothering instinct kicked in. She was delighted with the result of all that effort and was quite astounded at what she'd produced. The tiny foal gave a couple of snorts and little whinnies, Scythe answered them with her own throaty calls.

Duo managed to pull off most of the membranes and carefully lifted the foal's tail to see if he could find out the sex of the baby. He grinned and turned to Heero. "It's a colt," he said and then moved away from the foal and mare.

"A colt?" Heero stood in a daze for a moment staring at the mare and foal. "A colt..." he murmured.

Duo stood next to his boyfriend and the pair of them watched the warm scene before them before Heero suddenly grabbed Duo in a bear hug, almost crushing the vet before he kissed Duo senseless.

"We have a colt, Duo," he laughed. "A colt!"

"Yes, I know, Heero," replied Duo with a touch of amusement.

"I have to go tell Zero he's a daddy," said the excited accountant and with another kiss to Duo's lips, Heero tore off in the direction of Zero's paddock calling out to the stallion as he went. "Zero! You're a father, you have a son!"

Duo shook his head and smiled as he watched Heero's enthusiasm then he turned his attention back to the mare and foal that were clearly getting to know each other. He still had to check that all the afterbirth was there and intact and then he would need to check Scythe out internally to make sure she hadn't torn and then there was the foal to check as well; but for now it could all wait.

Duo sat back down and simply lost himself in the euphoria of mother and baby and the miracle of birth.

~ * ~ 

tbc.......

 

[1] Bagged Up: When a mare gets closer to foaling her udder begins to produce and fill with milk ready for the foal; horse people call this 'bagging up'.

[2] Candles: Usually as the mare gets to within 48 hours of foaling the milk in her udder begins to drip out. As this first milk is thick and rich it tends to gather around the teats and solidify forming a waxy, white deposit similar in appearance to the wax that dribbles along the sides of a burning candle.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36 

Duo continued to watch the mare and her new foal. Scythe was methodically licking the baby all over and the foal giving little squeals of protest as his mother's tongue got a little rough at times. It was a sight Duo would never tire of.

Heero reached Zero's paddock and the stallion trotted over to meet him. Heero's excitement was bubbling over as he petted the gray and told him all about the new arrival. "You're a father, Zero; the father of a bouncing baby boy, or should I say colt? Aw, what the hell, you're a dad now." Zero didn't take much notice of his master's words, he didn't understand them anyway, but he could sense the excitement of his master and smell the scent of birth in the air and on his master's clothing. Zero gazed across the paddock to where the mare was still lying down. His nostrils flared as he tried to draw in the smells and scent of what was happening. He took in a deep breath and then let out a loud neigh, almost deafening Heero in the process.

Hearing the stallion's call, Scythe lifted her head in the gray's direction and gave an answering neigh before turning her attention back to the small bundle before her. She nuzzled it gently and then with careful movements she rose to her feet. The foal instantly called for his mother and Scythe turned to press her nose against him, soft grunts coming from deep inside her as she reassured her baby of her presence.

Duo managed to stand up and took another look at his ruined clothes. The blood and birth fluids were starting to dry on him causing the fabrics to stiffen and chafe his skin but before he could think of getting cleaned up he had to check the afterbirth, Scythe and the foal. Heero appeared again at his side and wrinkled his nose. "What?" said Duo as he noticed the look Heero gave him.

"I think we're going to have to chuck those clothes, Duo. No amount of soaking is going to remove all that lot," said Heero as he took in the vet's bloody appearance.

"Well, you didn't expect me to catch junior here and not get covered in crap, did you? At least the hair got spared." There was nothing Duo hated more than getting fluids of any sort other than water, shampoo or conditioner in his hair. "Besides, you didn't get off scott-free either."

Heero took a look at his own clothing and noted with distaste that some of the blood and fluids had transferred to himself when he'd hugged Duo earlier

"Come on, help me with the afterbirth, will you? I have to check that it's all there," said Duo, drawing Heero out of his thoughts.

Looking at the pile of membranes, blood, fluid and what looked like a large chunk of red meat lying in a heap on the grass, Heero began to turn a little green. "Ummm..."

Noting the look of unease on Heero's face, Duo did his best to suppress a chuckle. "It's okay. I'll do it myself, but if you could go and get a bucket of water, some betadine and a towel from the stables and bring out, I'd be grateful."

"Okay." Heero turned around and went to fetch the items, relieved that he'd been spared that bit of embarrassment. He wasn't usually squeamish, after all he'd assisted Duo with countless operations on animals of all shapes and sizes and it hadn't affected him in the least; but there was something distinctly off putting about the afterbirth from Scythe. Heero put it down to the fact that it was his own animal concerned here and when it tended to be your own animal you were naturally a little more sensitive.

That was his excuse anyway and he was sticking to it!

Whilst Heero departed to fetch the items Duo had requested, the vet began the unpleasant task of checking the afterbirth. After poking through the mess and laying it out to examine it easier, Duo was pleased to note that it was all intact. He breathed a sigh of relief. Sometimes mares would retain all or part of the afterbirth and that meant he would have to physically go inside the mare and remove it from her uterus. Not a nice job as it meant inserting his arm completely inside the mare and usually involved the mare trying to force him out which resulted in squashed muscles against the cervix. It didn't rate very highly on Duo's favorites list.

Looking up, Duo could see Heero returning with the items and he mentally prepared himself for the internal exam he would need to give Scythe to make certain she wasn't torn inside. "Thanks, Heero," he said as the accountant placed the items on the grass. Duo added some of the betadine to the water, happy that Heero had thought to bring warm water. He removed his T-shirt and washed his arm in the solution then poured a generous amount of the betadine over his arm. Usually he used a surgical glove that reached all the way to his armpits but he'd forgotten to ask Heero to bring one for him and he really wanted to get this over and done with so he could go take a shower and clean up properly.

The foal was still lying on the ground as his mother continued to lick him over. Gradually the air was drying off his coat and Heero could now tell that he was a gray like his father but where Zero was light gray with dapples, this little fellow was almost black. "Steel gray," muttered Heero as he tried to see if there were any other markings. As far as he could tell the foal had no white on its legs but it did have a similar marking on its forehead to Scythe. A sort of crescent shape that continued on down his nose in a crooked line to finish between the two nostrils.

"Would you mind keeping Scythe still, please?" Duo asked from where he was standing behind the mare. Normally he would have put the mare into the crush for the examination but with the foal still to gain its feet it would be a while before they could get the pair into the stables and Scythe into the crush. At the moment the mare's muscles were loose from foaling and it would make the examination a lot easier and quicker if he could do it before those muscles started to tighten. Given that Scythe was a sweet natured mare, Duo hoped she wouldn't mind his intrusion. If she did then he would have to wait and do the exam once he could get her into the crush.

With Heero keeping an eye on her from the head end, Duo carefully lifted Scythe's tail and washed the area with betadine. The mare didn't move, she was too preoccupied with her baby to worry about what Duo was doing. Gently Duo slipped his hand and wrist inside. He felt carefully along the walls and towards the uterus. The cervix was beginning to close which was a good sign and so far Duo hadn't found anything to worry about as far as the lining went. He rechecked and then slipped his arm out and went to clean himself off.

"How is she?" came Hero's question.

"She's fine internally. No tears and the cervix is starting to close, which is good."

"Now what?"

Duo toweled himself off as best he could and looked at the ruined T-shirt, deciding against putting it back on. He draped the towel across his shoulders instead. "Now we need to check Junior here and make sure everything is right with him."

"Aa. How do we do that?"

Duo chuckled. "I think we will need to wait until he's on his feet and had a feed first. Once he's reasonably stable we can go over him."

"Okay." Heero moved to stand next to Duo and wrapped an arm around the vet's shoulders. "You cold?"

"I'm okay," replied Duo.

"You should go up to the house, get showered and changed, I don't want you catching another cold."

"I'll be fine, Heero. I'll go up shortly. I want to see Junior on his feet and drinking first." Duo watched the foal that was doing his best to get his legs out from underneath his body in preparation for standing. "Heero?"

"Hai?"

"We need to think of a name for him, we can't keep calling him Junior or the foal."

"Good point. Any suggestions?"

Duo thought long and hard, then with a grin he spoke. "No… you?"

"Hn." Heero's face scrunched up as he gazed at the foal, his mind trying to think of a name that would suit the new arrival. "Let's see," he said thinking aloud. "We have Zero 'cause of the number of them attached to his price tag; we have Scythe, because of the marking on her forehead... Junior here... steel gray, almost black, similar marking to his mother's... Hmmm."

Duo gave an amused smile as his boyfriend's mind ticked over. "You got something in there?" he asked as he tapped Heero's head. "Other than a brain that is?"

"Not sure," replied Heero ignoring the jibe as he continued his thoughts and watching the foal who was struggling to get to his feet.

Duo's eyes went back to the foal and he smiled as the little creature managed to get its front legs out and tried to raise itself by pushing from his hind legs only to have both front legs do the splits and end up in a heap. He could see the grim determination in the foal's eyes and knew he would have a strong personality. "Grim Reaper," chuckled Duo.

"Pardon?"

"The Grim Reaper," repeated Duo. "He has that look in his eye; one of determination. Sort of 'I will do this even if it kills me' look. Plus he's the right color."

"Duo, I can't go into a show ring riding a horse called The Grim Reaper."

"Why not? The opposition would certainly give you a wide berth," snickered Duo.

Heero rolled his eyes and then had a thought. "Shinigami."

"Huh? Did you just swear at me in some foreign language, Heero?"

"No. No, I didn't. Shinigami, it's the Japanese word for God of Death or as you call him; The Grim Reaper."

"Ahh." Duo turned back to look at the foal who had managed to get his hind legs up and was attempting to get the front ones to follow. "Shinigami, huh?"

"What do you think?" asked Heero as he watched the foal fall again into a heap.

"He doesn't look like he could do much damage at the moment," snickered Duo.

"Give him time."

"Yeah. Actually I think that's a good name, Heero. Shinigami it is then." They both stood and watched in silence as the newborn made several more attempts to gain his feet, eventually succeeding. He stood on wobbly legs for a moment, the look on his face one of disbelief that he'd actually gotten these four spindly things to hold him up before he tried to take a step; and fell into a heap again.

"His coordination needs to improve," observed Heero.

"Hard to think that something that small and delicate will grow big enough to carry your weight and jump as well," mused Duo.

"Are you insinuating that I'm fat?"

"No, not in the least, Heero."

"Good."

"You're nice and cuddly."

Heero decided to quit while he was behind.

The foal gave a soft grunt and encouraged by his mother's nose pushing him, he tried again to stand. His little belly was rumbling and he could smell food; now if only he could get these four spindly legs to work together he might stand a chance of getting somewhere. He managed to heave himself up once more, wobbled and splayed his front legs out to stop from falling over again. It took a bit of effort but at least he was standing. Now, if he could get these things to all move together...

Duo did his best to hold onto his laughter as Shinigami lifted one hind leg, wobbled, put it down, over balanced and tried to save himself from falling by having all four legs spread out at once. He ended up in a heap again. "Kinda reminds me of the frozen lake scene in the movie Bambi," he commented.

Heero snorted.

The snort from the human startled the foal who had just managed to get back onto his feet. He jumped and went sprawling again, giving an indignant whinny.

"I think he's pissed at you, Heero," snickered Duo as the foal appeared to give Heero a glare.

"Too bad." Heero glanced at his watch. "You know, if everything is fine with Scythe and Shinigami there's no reason why we can't go to the Ag show tomorrow."

Duo turned his attention from the foal that was finally starting to get his legs to work and focused on Heero. "I'd forgotten all about the show, but you're right. We can still go." Duo's face lit up into a wide grin and then turned back to the foal. "Looks like he's getting a little control over those limbs now. What do you think of his conformation?"

Heero returned his gaze to the foal that was starting to move towards Scythe, searching for a feed. His legs were long and gangly, moving awkwardly as he tottered along, tilting from side to side as he tried to discover his balance. One leg would suddenly refuse to cooperate and the foal would take two or three running steps to one side as he fought to stay upright; and usually ended up in a heap again, much to his disgust.

"I hope that's not a sign for the future," said Heero as he watched the foal's attempts to stay upright for longer than five seconds.

"Nah, it's quite normal. He'll have full control over those limbs within an hour."

Several more attempts followed and each time the foal managed to gain a little more control over the four legs. Eventually he managed to get them to cooperate and work in some sort of sequence. He still tottered and rolled a little but at least he was remaining upright for longer periods of time.

Heero studied the animal intently. It wasn't easy to comment on a foal's conformation as being so little and having a lot of growing to do they could be deceptive. Heero had seen it happen before, a really nice foal born, everything pointing to the fact that it should have good movement and then as the animal grew it didn't develop as well as one would have hoped. Thus Heero was wary in his comments. His eyes raked over the gangly form, all legs and not much of anything else at this point in time. 

"From what I can tell at this stage he appears to have a good set of hocks on him, they're well let down and combined with the angle of his hindquarters it all suggests he should be a good jumper. His shoulder isn't bad, good slope to it and his neck comes out reasonably well. I'd like to see a little more length of rein on him but that can change as he grows."

"I think he's quite handsome myself," said Duo softly.

"Hai, he is. If he doesn't shape up as a jumper he could be a reasonable dressage horse or maybe an eventer."

"Eventer?"

"Yeah, those are the events that combine dressage, cross country and showjumping all into one. You have the three separate phases and score marks in each one to give an overall total."

"Ah. I think I've seen some of that on telly."

"It's becoming a very popular sport, although the risks are higher than in showjumping, plus you need a horse that is good in all three disciplines, not an easy task."

"I can imagine." Duo snickered as he watched the foal. "Hopefully he has some brains in there, although at the moment he's quite amusing to watch."

Heero turned his attention back to the foal who had conquered his errant legs and was intent on finding the mare's udder. He was hungry and determined to find some nourishment. The foal had managed to get to his mother's side and was now busy trying to locate the milk he could smell. He knew it was around here somewhere.

Both vet and accountant watched in amusement as the foal stuck its head between Scythe's front legs, searching for the teat. Shinigami stamped his foot and almost fell over again when he didn't find what he sought. With a grunt his little mouth began exploring Scythe's front leg, searching for the teat to latch onto. He located his mother's elbow and began to suckle, only to get a mouthful of hair. He squealed in disgust.

Scythe shifted a little in an attempt to bring her flank around to the searching mouth. Her udder was full and hot. She knew instinctively what her baby wanted and did her best to nudge him in the right direction. Shinigami continued his search for the elusive udder, mouthing along his mother's belly. When the mare nudged him he kicked out in frustration, and fell into a heap again. Seemed he hadn't gotten quite as much control over these four things as he'd thought. He managed to get himself upright once more and recommenced his search for the milk.

His mouth played over Scythe's flank, generally heading in the right direction. When he reached the hind leg his excitement grew. The scent of the milk was stronger here and he butted his head against his mother's side in impatience. Scythe gave him a nudge in self defense and the foal staggered for a moment and lowered his head. As he regained his balance so his head came back up but this time it was slightly underneath his mother's flank. A drop of milk hit his nose and his tongue poked out to lick at it. Instantly his mind was on alert. The milk was here, all he had to do was find that damned teat! The foal pushed and poked his muzzle around, finally locating the udder and then the teat. His mouth opened and he latched on, suckling hungrily. As the warm milk began to flow down his throat and into his belly so Shinigami's tail swished from side to side indicating his pleasure at eventually finding success.

"Looks like he finally managed to locate the milk bar," chuckled Duo as he watched the foal sucking away.

"Took him long enough," grunted Heero.

"At least it shows he has determination," replied Duo. "I'd say he's going to have a will of his own, that one. Could prove to be a handful later on when he's bigger and you come to breaking him in."

"Hn. If he's handled correctly from the word go then there shouldn't be a problem with him. You can have an obedient, well behaved, respectful horse without breaking its spirit; unfortunately some people still have that lesson to learn," said Heero. "If he's going to become a success like his father then he will need to have that spirit and the will to win."

"Guess that's what sorts the men from the boys, hey?"

"True. When it comes to the crunch you want to be on an animal that's not going to crack under the pressure. There's only so much a rider can do with education and practice; in the end it comes down to how badly you want that success."

"And you want it pretty badly, Heero," said Duo softly as he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and kissed the accountant.

Heero could feel his groin tightening with the close contact as his mind offered an alternative interpretation for Duo's words. "Yeah, you could say I want it pretty badly," he whispered and ground his hips against the vet's leaving the long haired man to figure out the double meaning.

"If we're going to this show tomorrow I think we should finish packing the car," said Duo, changing the subject. Not that he minded the closeness and contact of their respective groins but they still had a lot to do and daylight wouldn't wait much longer for them.

"You're right," replied Heero, albeit a little reluctantly. "What about Scythe and the foal?"

"They will be fine for a while, Heero. We should give them some peace for a bit; let them get to know each other. Once we have the car packed and float hitched up we can come back and I'll give Shinigami the once over to check he's okay."

"Then let's get moving," replied Heero and released his boyfriend. With one last glance back at mother and baby Heero headed for the stables to finish off their preparations for the show whilst Duo collected the afterbirth and took it back to dispose of.

* * * 

"That everything?" asked Duo as he prepared to close the trunk of the car.

Heero ran a mental check over the contents of the trunk. "Hai. If it isn't then too bad, I'll have to do without," he replied.

"Okay." Duo closed the trunk. "You want me to guide you back onto the float?"

"If you don't mind."

Duo went to stand by the tow hitch as Heero got into the car and started it up, backing carefully and following Duo's directions. With the tow ball sitting underneath the hitch Duo began to wind down the jockey wheel, fitting the hitch securely over the ball and releasing the safety catch to lock into place. The safety chains were attached and the electrical system plugged in before the jockey wheel was removed and the lights tested.

Once everything was secured and checked, Heero pulled the car and float forwards so they would be able to lower the tailgate and load Zero on come the morning. Getting out he locked the car and went to find Duo. He checked his watch, noting the lateness of the hour as he rounded the back of the float and found the vet waiting for him.

"Better check the foal before it gets dark," said Duo. "I'd like to give him a shot of tetanus vaccine too."

"Okay," replied Heero and began to follow his boyfriend back to the paddock. "I'll bring Zero in once you've done your check and settle him for the night. What about Scythe and the foal?"

"I think it would be better if they were to stay out in the paddock for a couple of days. It won't hurt them and I'd feel safer knowing the foal is outside and not in the stable where he could hurt himself. Better to bring him in there during the day so he can familiarize himself better before having them stabled again at night."

Heero nodded in agreement. He could see the sense in those words. It would be asking for trouble to bring the foal into the stable at night when he didn't know the parameters. They reached the paddock and spotted Scythe by the large tree. She hadn't moved from her earlier position. As they walked across the paddock so Heero could make out the shape of the foal lying at his mother's feet.

"I think all the excitement of being born, finding his feet and trying to get a feed into his belly has tuckered him out," chuckled Duo.

"Looks like it," mused Heero. "It should make examining him a little easier though."

"You mind holding him while I check him over?"

"No problem."

As the two men approached so Scythe raised her head and gave a soft whinny. She was hungry, all that effort had drained a lot of her energy and she was eagerly looking forward to her dinner. At the sound of his mother's voice so the little foal stirred. It took him a moment or two to properly wake up and when he did and managed to scramble to his feet, he found himself enclosed by strong arms. He gave a snort and tried to buck but he still wasn't in complete control of his limbs so the effect was wasted.

Heero caught the foal as he stood up, wrapping one arm around the small chest and the other one around the hind legs, right in the curve of the hock and grasping the small tail. Held in this position the foal couldn't hurt the handler and was effectively restrained.

Shinigami was most affronted and let his displeasure be known with a shrill whinny and snort.

"I've got him secured, Duo," said Heero softly as he adjusted his position slightly so that the foal was still held firmly but gently.

Scythe gave a concerned wuffle but Duo soothed her with a few soft words and pats. The mare stayed close, hovering over her newborn but instinctively trusting the soft spoken human. After all, he'd never hurt her in the past so she had no reason to distrust him.

Duo slipped the ear pieces of the stethoscope into his ears and quickly checked over the foal's ribcage, listening to the lungs and then the heartbeat. He checked the respiratory rate and heart rate, satisfied that they were normal before inserting the thermometer into the foal's anus to check his temperature. It was also normal. A quick check of the membranes of the foal's eyes and mouth confirmed a healthy circulation. Duo felt over the thin but strong legs noting each bump and feeling the swell of the tendons beneath. Lastly he pulled the vaccine from his pocket, quickly swabbed a spot on the foal's neck and injected the tetanus shot. The foal gave a little squeal as he felt the prick of the needle but it only stung for a second.

"You can let him go now, Heero. I'm finished," said Duo as he capped the needle and slid it back into his pocket, stepping back from the foal at the same time and giving the baby room to move.

Gently, Heero slipped his arms from around the newborn and shifted to the side. Immediately he was released, Shinigami gave a disgusted snort and shook his head. He shot away from Heero and dived around behind his mother where he peeked out at the two humans from the safety of Scythe's flank. When the two humans made no attempt to come after him again, Shinigami stuck his head underneath Scythe's flank and found the udder, sucking a teat into his mouth he began to feed on the warm milk and settle his fears.

Duo watched in amusement for a moment. "Come on, Heero. We'd better get these animals fed and Zero settled for the night so we can get some dinner ourselves."

"Okay. I'll fetch Zero if you want to feed Scythe. The sooner we get them done the sooner we can eat. I've still got to get my clothing sorted out and check that my shirt doesn't need re-ironing, plus I have my boots to clean as well."

"I'll meet you in the stables then," said Duo and gave his boyfriend a kiss before disappearing to fetch Scythe's dinner.

By the time Scythe was rugged and fed and Zero similarly settled it was dark and Duo's stomach was rumbling. They secured the stable block, checked Scythe again and then headed for the house and their own dinner. Heero went through to his room to fetch his jodhpurs, jacket, shirt and tie while Duo made a beeline for the shower and then the kitchen where he started to get dinner ready. 

Looking up from the frying pan as Heero reentered the kitchen, Duo gave an amused smile. He could hardly see Heero underneath the pile of clothing he carried. "All of it okay?" he asked as Heero set the items down over the back of a kitchen chair.

"Yeah. I think I will need to put the jacket in for a dry clean though after this show," Heero replied as he sniffed the armpits of the jacket.

"Getting a little ripe?"

"Just a touch." Heero sorted the items out and placed them inside the suit protector, zipping up the front so the clothes inside would remain clean and free from dust or dirt. Once they were all secured he took the hangar and hung the suit protector with his clothes inside on the hook on the back door. That way he wouldn't forget them in the morning. "What's for dinner?" he asked as he came up behind Duo and wrapped his arms around the vet's waist, nuzzling the nape of Duo's neck. Duo smelt of soap and his skin was still slightly damp from his shower. It was an improvement on his earlier state though.

"Just throwing together a mixed grill, hope that's okay?" replied Duo as he rolled the sausages in the pan.

"Fine with me," said Heero softly and continued to kiss Duo's nape.

Moaning softly Duo did his best to concentrate of cooking which wasn't easy when you had a hunk like Heero paying homage to your skin. Duo wore a pair of loose sweat pants that rode low on his hips; his chest was still bare as he hadn't bothered to put on a shirt. "Keep that up and you'll be getting burnt offerings," he groaned as Heero found the sensitive spot behind his ear and tormented it.

Chuckling softly, Heero released his 'prisoner' and went to set the table.

"Did you call Trowa and Quatre and let them know the good news?" said Duo as he fished the bacon out of the pan and set it on the kitchen paper to drain.

"Iie, I haven't."

"Would you mind doing it? I need to keep going with this and if we don't ring them and let them know we will never hear the end of it. Blondie will be most affronted and a pissed off Quatre isn't a nice thing, especially after all those carrots he's been bringing."

Heero laughed. "I'll go call them now. I can imagine what his reaction will be though, he'll be around here in a flash."

"Just tell him it's too dark now and that mother and son need to rest. He can call around tomorrow after the show or something and coo to his heart’s delight," snickered Duo.

Still chuckling to himself, Heero headed for the 'phone to make the calls. "Shall I ring Hilde as well?"

"Shit! Yeah, you'd better. That woman will have my ass if we don't let her know."

Hilde had formed a special bond with the mare, always paying her a visit when she came to work each day and bringing a treat of some sort with her for the mare. Scythe enjoyed the attention the woman gave her and looked forward to Hilde's visits.

Duo returned to his cooking while Heero made the calls.

* * * 

After dinner Duo did the dishes while Heero cleaned his boots, they discussed the reactions their friends had had to the news of Scythe's foaling. True to expectation, Quatre had wanted to come out there and then and visit the new arrival but Heero patiently explained about the pair needing rest and privacy to get to know each other and reluctantly Quatre agreed to wait until the 'morrow.

Hilde had similarly been overjoyed and quizzed Heero on the foaling, what had happened, was the mare okay and did she need any treatment? Heero had answered as best he could, which seemed to placate the other vet for the moment but Heero knew that Hilde would be giving Duo the third degree as soon as she saw him.

With the chores out of the way, Duo made hot chocolate and Heero took his shower. Sitting in the lounge room with the television playing some old romantic movie, the pair enjoyed the peace of the evening. Snuggling together had never felt better now that they knew Scythe was okay and the new addition as well. Heero was feeling decidedly happy. He had everything he'd ever wanted. A loving partner, a successful career in business and his horse was going well. Now he had another addition to his 'family' and Heero felt truly content. 

Duo was also feeling happy. Scythe had delivered a healthy foal with minimal fuss, his practice had exceeded even his expectations and he had a loving, considerate boyfriend. Life was good. Duo snuggled deeper into the warm arms that surrounded him, tucking his head against Heero's chest and listening to the strong heartbeat. Heero was also shirtless and wearing sweat pants and Duo couldn't resist stroking his fingers over the warm, golden skin. He felt the muscles shiver beneath his touch and traced further patterns on Heero's flesh. Gradually he worked his way to Heero's nipples and teased at them, smiling as he felt them harden under his fingertips.

Shifting his position slightly, Heero managed to work a hand free so he could return the soft caresses to Duo's skin. His hand wandered over the creamy expanse, enjoying the trembles that passed through the other man's body as he coaxed it to arousal.

Duo moaned his pleasure as Heero's hands teased him and by way of retaliation he let his head slide down Heero's chest to locate a nipple with his mouth and suckle lightly on it.

"Oh god," moaned Heero as his hand paused, his brain suddenly cutting off all non necessary functions to concentrate solely on the pleasure.

"Enjoying that, Heero?"

"Too much," moaned the accountant and began to shift his hips as his cock hardened.

Duo's body was also reacting and he shifted his own hips to press against Heero. When a hand found its way to his sweat pants and began to rub his half hard erection through the cloth, Duo groaned. He ached to be touched, longed for stimulation and craved it to the point where he was thrusting against that teasing palm.

Heero's own inner battle was similar to his long haired partner's. He felt Duo's mouth falter as he pressed against the vet's cock and smiled to himself. His smile soon turned into a gasp as Duo's hand began to roam over his lower back and then to his backside. The cheeks were squeezed and massaged and all Heero could do was groan his enjoyment.

Running his hand over Heero's rear end only increased Duo's arousal and he felt something deep inside him finally snap and begin to unravel. Panting slightly he raised his head and found Heero's lips, kissing the dark haired man deeply. When he pulled away he searched Heero's eyes, noting the lust, trust and love swirling in those cobalt depths he made up his mind. He lightly nibbled along Heero's bottom lip as he sought to voice the words he wanted to say. Struggling with his larynx for a moment he managed to get it to work and his voice came out thick and husky.

"Let's go to bed, Heero."

~ * ~ 

tbc....


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37 

"Let's go to bed, Heero."

The words penetrated Heero's lust filled mind and he stared at the vet. His frustration rose at the thought of going to bed with his cock half hard and his libido in full swing. Duo had never aroused him only to leave him hanging before so he found it hard to comprehend what the vet was saying. "Bed?" he managed to get out, the frustration showing in his voice but he did his best to calm himself.

"Yes, Heero. Bed," purred Duo as he stood up and pulled Heero with him.

Heero was still confused as Duo leaned in and kissed him again, tongues meeting and entwining as the kiss deepened. When they broke for air, Heero was surprised to find they were now standing in the hallway. He had no recollection of how they'd got there and at the moment he really didn't give a shit either. His body was on fire and he wanted release, whether it was by his own hand or Duo's.

Duo had an idea of what was running through Heero's mind and he felt a little hurt that Heero would think he'd leave him in such an aroused state. Duo wasn't a cock tease. He kissed Heero again, pulling the accountant close and thrusting his hips against Heero's. The friction of his cloth covered cock against Heero's equally hard and hidden erection tore a moan of need from his throat. As he parted their lips so Duo reached for the door handle to his room and opened it. He didn't let go of Heero's waist though, instead he pulled the man with him. They paused in the doorway and Duo kissed his love again.

"Let's go to bed, Heero," Duo said again, this time his voice was thick with need and he peered shyly through his bangs at Heero, hoping the other man would figure it out.

Standing in the doorway to Duo's room, erection throbbing between his legs, lips swollen with heated kisses and the fire of passion running through his blood, Heero registered the words again and looked from inside Duo's room to the shy, violet eyes of his partner. The gears in Heero's head began to turn as he noted the hesitation in those eyes, along with the pleading for Heero to understand. He swallowed as Duo's words hit home in the true sense of what he was asking.

"You sure you want to go to bed, Duo?" he asked, his voice a little shaky.

Duo nodded. "Please?"

"I - I don't want to push you. I understand..." The rest of Heero's words were cut off as Duo kissed him passionately.

"Heero... No more waiting, no more hiding. I - I want this, I want you." Duo's voice was raw with emotion and his body trembling with anticipation.

"Then take me to bed, Duo," Heero murmured softly.

With tears of relief and joy springing behind his eyes, Duo leaned in and kissed Heero again, his tongue invading the accountant's mouth and teasing all the sensitive spots it knew so well. As they kissed so Duo managed to work them across the floor and to the bed. Panting slightly as the kiss broke, Duo gazed deep into Heero's eyes and smiled. "Don't move," he whispered huskily and then turned to remove the stuffed animal and pillows from the bed covers.

Heero wasn't about to go anywhere. He ached deep inside to have Duo make love to him and now that Duo was finally ready, Heero was not about to refuse him. He watched in amusement as Duo quickly disposed of the animal and pillows on the comforter and then proceeded to fold the covers to the bed back. Once done, the vet turned shyly towards him as if seeking reassurance. Heero opened his arms and drew the vet in, kissing the man deeply.

When they broke apart, Duo was flushed with need and excitement. His heart raced in his chest, blood pounded through his ears and he trembled with the knowledge of what they were about to do. His hands caressed along Heero's bare back, feeling the skin shiver under his touch as he worked them lower, stopping when he reached the waistband of Heero's sweats. He ran his fingers around the waistband, teasing lightly before slipping a hand underneath to cup Heero's cheek. He squeezed lightly and began to massage as Heero pressed closer to him, soft moans coming from his throat.

As he pressed closer to his boyfriend so Heero could feel Duo's hard cock pressing against his own and he ground his hips, giving them both some much needed friction. He moaned again as Duo's hand discovered the elastic to his briefs and disappeared underneath them, caressing his skin directly. His knees were beginning to sag and he knew he wasn't going to remain upright for much longer. He let his own hands drift to Duo's sweats and dipped inside, quickly finding the flap of Duo's boxers and sliding his hand in to locate Duo's swollen cock.

Gasping softly with the touch to his sensitive organ, Duo pushed his hips into that hand, demanding more stimulation. He could feel the tremors running through Heero's body and knew he wasn't going to remain standing for much longer himself. Reluctantly he pulled his hand from inside Heero's pants and took a step back causing Heero's hand to leave his own pants with the move.

"I think we need to lose the pants and get horizontal before we fall down," he whispered seductively.

"Agreed," panted Heero and hitched his thumbs under the waistband of his sweats, tugging them down and stepping out of them.

Duo similarly removed his own sweats, a little self conscious now that they were getting to the near naked stage. He mentally chided himself; after all he'd been naked with Heero several times and knew that the dark haired man loved his body. Duo wasn't fat but nor was he thin. The right combination of muscle and bone saw him with a honed body, something the physical aspects of his job ensured he kept. 

Both now standing in only their respective underwear they hesitated, neither one quite sure of what the other expected. With a smile, Heero broke the stalemate and took Duo's hand. He pulled the long haired vet to him and gently guided them to the mattress. Heero lay down, pulling Duo with him and then scooted across so they could both fit. They lay side by side for a moment awkward with each other, not sure who should make the first move.

"This is ridiculous," muttered Duo. "I feel like a school girl on her first date."

Heero dropped his hand to Duo's tented boxers and rubbed the stiffened flesh inside. "You don't feel like a school girl to me," he said flatly. "Wrong equipment if I recall my anatomy classes correctly."

It was the tension breaker they both needed.

Duo laughed and snuggled closer to Heero.

"Relax, Duo. Let's just take it slow and whatever happens, happens. I'm ready for whatever you want," murmured Heero as he kissed along Duo's jaw.

"I want you, Heero. But..."

"Hush. No questions, no doubts. Just go with whatever feels good and right." Heero continued to feather kisses over Duo's skin, working his way over the creamy throat and towards the collar bone. He was intent on tasting every inch of Duo's delicious body.

Duo lay back and closed his eyes, savoring the gentle kisses and exploration of his flesh by Heero's lips. Goose flesh rose as his nerves came alive to the sensations he was being gifted. He moaned softly as Heero worked his way over his hairless chest and finding a nipple, began to tease it.

Heero flicked his tongue back and forth over the rapidly hardening nub, enjoying the slightly salty taste of Duo combined with the vanilla scent of the soap he used. As Duo's nipple responded to his tongue so Heero gently nibbled with his teeth causing the vet to moan loudly. He latched on and began to suck.

Pleasure rolled through his body as his nipple was tormented. Duo's back arched into the ministrations, eagerly seeking more. "Nnnn... Good, Heero," he groaned as Heero shifted his position to worry the other nipple with his teeth.

Happy that his attention to Duo's chest was being favorably received, Heero continued to tease, alternating between sucking, nibbling and flicking his tongue over the nub. His cock was rock hard between his legs but he did his best to ignore it for the moment. He wanted to drive Duo mad with pleasure, have the vet so aroused that he'd want nothing more than to take Heero and make love to him without any thoughts or regrets.

Duo brought his hands to tangle in Heero's hair, his body was on fire and Heero was the cause. He continued to moan as Heero's mouth worked on his nipples, teasing each one with perfect touches. His mind was hazy with lust and his hips thrust upwards as his cock ached for friction.

Having tormented the nipples for long enough, Heero decided to move on to better things. He began to kiss his way over Duo's stomach, snickering to himself as the vet squirmed and wriggled, his skin ticklish to the touch. He found the treasure trail of hairs that began at Duo's navel and thickened as they descended into Duo's boxers. He nuzzled them lightly before continuing his oral worship of the creamy skin.

"Too good," moaned Duo as he squirmed under the onslaught. Heero's tongue was doing wicked things to his skin and Duo was completely at his mercy. He could only hope that Heero continued his southward journey to where Duo craved the touch the most.

Heero wasn't about to disappoint. He reached the hem of Duo's boxers and smiled inwardly. The wet spot indicated just how aroused the vet was; if the tent wasn't enough to give it away. Heero brought his hands up to the slender hips and hooked his thumbs under the hem of the boxers. He raised his head to find clouded violet studying him intently. "May I?" he asked and tugged lightly on the garment.

"Please," came the reply and Duo lifted his hips.

Heero slid the silky material over the hips and thighs, careful to release the swollen organ before pulling the boxers the rest of the way down Duo's legs, over his feet and tossing them to the floor. He took a moment to appreciate the view. Duo's penis was lying against his belly, hard and pulsing, the head wet with his need. Beneath the shaft Duo's balls lay, tight and hard in their sac, heavy with Duo's seed. Heero brought a hand forwards and eased the foreskin back over the engorged head, giving Duo a measure of relief. He lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss to the tip of the organ that blushed red with desire.

"Ahhh... Fuck," moaned Duo and pushed his hips upwards but his partner pulled away after bestowing one simple kiss. Duo opened his eyes to see why Heero had stopped and his breath caught in his throat.

Leaving the organ for a moment, Heero leaned back on his haunches and waited for Duo to open his eyes. Once the vet had, Heero slipped his thumbs into the band of his briefs and gave the long haired man a sultry smile as he began to pull them from his body. He lifted the front up and out so as not to catch on the head of his erection and then removed the garment completely, tossing the briefs to the floor to keep Duo's boxers company.

The pair paused for a moment to drink each other in. Eyes roamed over chests, appreciated well defined muscles before settling on their respective cocks. Both men were highly aroused, precum running freely from their tips.

Unable to take anymore, Duo raised himself up and captured Heero's lips in a torrid kiss born of need and desire. As they kissed so Duo gently eased Heero to the mattress and lay on top of him, circling his hips and rubbing their painfully hard erections together.

Groaning into Duo's mouth, Heero's hands fell to the vet's hips where he held on tight and pulled the man closer to him, desperate for more contact. He pushed his groin up, meeting Duo's downward thrust and crying out with the sensation.

"Oh gods," moaned Duo as he rested his head against Heero's shoulder and let the feelings course through him, their bodies humping against each other in desperation of the act they both wanted so much. Duo managed to pull back and began a seduction of Heero's body. He wanted to have the accountant writhing in pleasure and drowning in sensation, begging to be made love to.

He began his torment of the golden skin, kissing and nipping softly over Heero's chest to a nipple where he mimicked what Heero had done to him earlier. Sucking on the hardened nub and teasing it with his tongue and teeth. He gifted the other nipple with the same treatment before heading south to where Heero's thick, cut cock lay, crying tears of desperation against his belly. He paused for a moment and inhaled the male, musky scent of his partner, exciting his hormones further before lowering his mouth and sucking lightly on the head of Heero's penis.

"Shit!" cried Heero as his cock head disappeared into Duo's mouth. The head was extremely sensitive and the vet seemed to know this as he tortured Heero mercilessly. 

Duo ran his tongue around the swollen crown, dipped into the slit to lap at the precum and then returned to suckling lightly on the head. He was enjoying the taste of Heero, reveling in the saltiness of the semen upon his tongue and craving more of it. He gradually worked the rest of the shaft into his mouth, scraping his teeth lightly over the soft skin as he raised his head and then sucked hard as he plunged back down.

Lying on his back, Heero's legs fell open as his boyfriend tormented him. He spread them wider, desperate to have Duo do more to him. His hips began to thrust only to be stilled by Duo's strong hands. He gave a whimper of frustration.

His own excitement was rising by the second and Duo wasn't sure how much longer he could last without some relief. He shifted his position and released Heero's cock from his mouth as he straightened up and raised himself to lean across Heero's spread body to the nightstand drawer. He pulled the drawer open and rummaged inside for a second before locating the tube of lube he'd bought some time ago now with the hope of one day overcoming his fears enough to be able to use it.

With Duo leaning across his body so Heero had the perfect opportunity to curl his fingers around Duo's cock and return some of the teasing he'd just endured. He pumped the organ slowly, grinning as he heard Duo's breath catch and a low moan escape.

"Not fair," moaned Duo as his eyes slid shut and his hips rocked into the hand that stroked him.

"Yes it is," snickered Heero and pumped a little faster.

Duo couldn't help it, his legs spread a little wider as his brain promptly shut down all non essential function and concentrated solely on the pleasure he was receiving. Eventually Duo managed to get some control over his pleasure filled body and lowered a hand between his legs to still Heero's movements. "It's not that I'm not enjoy what you're doing, I'm afraid I'm enjoying it too much and if you keep that up I'm gonna cum now," he panted.

With a smirk, Heero released the hot organ from his grasp and lay back down. His eyes tracked Duo's movements as the vet settled between his spread thighs, noting the tube in Duo's hand. His heart rate sped up as recognized the tube as being lube and he could feel his entrance clenching in anticipation. He'd loved having Duo's fingers inside him before and could only dream of what it would be like to have the vet's long cock buried inside. 

Opening the cap to the tube, Duo squeezed some of the gel out onto his fingers and smeared it around. He recapped the tube and dropped it to the bed clothes. He gave Heero a warm smile as he lowered his hands to the golden flesh of his boyfriend. His one hand cupped Heero's sac, gently rolling the testicles in his palm as his other sought out the cleft of Heero's ass. Steadily Duo stroked along the crevice, spreading the lube as he went and ensuring that Heero was slick enough. He returned a finger to the tiny hole and began to work in tiny circles around it, his memories of what he'd done last time returning to guide him. 

Heero closed his eyes as his body was again invaded by pleasure. Duo's hand working his balls felt wonderful, but nothing compared to the sensations he got when Duo began to stroke along his crevice and then finger his hole. The rich nerve supply came alive and Heero swore he would die from the intensity of it. Small cries and moans left his throat in a continuous stream and he was powerless to stop them. He groaned and wriggled in an attempt to draw Duo's finger into his channel.

Duo took pity on his partner, seeing the beautiful face contorted by pleasure made his heart swell and he wanted to give more to Heero. The wriggling of those hips enticed him to do more and gently he began to slide his finger inside Heero's hot body. The muscles were tight and unyielding at first but Duo persisted, gradually working his finger deeper and delighting in the heat that greeted him.

"More," moaned Heero as he bucked his hips in frustration. It felt a little uncomfortable at first but then as his body gave and accepted the finger so the feelings returned to those of pleasure.

The finger began to slide in and out as the hole relaxed and pretty soon Duo was adding a second one. He began to move them around, stretching the anal muscles as he stroked along the heated passage. Heero's insides welcomed him and rippled in appreciation around his fingers as Duo sought to stroke along those inner walls. Heero's channel was hot and moist, the silkiness of the passage added to his own excitement and pretty soon he had three fingers buried to the knuckle inside Heero.

"Yes, more," moaned Heero as he clenched his inner muscles in pleasure. He could feel Duo's fingers working in and out, stretching him for something much bigger and Heero desperately wanted it.

With his fingers now sliding in and out quite easily, Duo did his best to find the spongy bump he'd located last time and drive Heero to madness. He plunged his fingers deeper, searching along the soft walls until he found what he was looking for and stroked over it.

"Aaaa..." cried Heero as his world exploded into a burst of rainbow colors. His back arched and his passage clamped around the invading digits as pleasure seared along his nerves.

Duo chuckled lightly above him and stroked the bundle of nerves again, reveling in the responses he was causing in Heero.

"Need you," Heero managed to pant out in a rare moment of coherence. "Need to come."

"You want me, Heero?"

"H - Hai. Please; make love to me, Duo. I want you so much it hurts."

A sudden chill passed through Duo's body and he stilled his movements. Feeling Duo's fingers cease in their plundering of his body, Heero turned his curious gaze to his boyfriend and saw a stricken look on the sweet face.

"Duo? What's wrong?" Heero's blood ran cold as he quickly did a mental summary of the last few words. Surely he hadn't said or done anything to scare Duo off?

"I - I don't have a condom, Heero." As Heero had asked him to make love to him so Duo suddenly had a thought that chilled him to the bone and froze his actions. He'd bought lube alright but he'd completely forgotten about condoms.

The realization of what Duo was saying struck Heero right in the gut but then he smiled. "It's okay, Duo. I've never been with a guy in this way before and I know you haven't. I've had a couple of girls but I used condoms then so I'm completely clean. You have no worries about catching anything." The last few words were spoken with a blush.

Duo felt awkward and a complete idiot to boot but Heero's soft words comforted him. "I haven't been with anyone as you know so I know I'm clean and I didn't mean to insinuate anything..."

Duo's words were cut off as Heero placed a hand on his wrist and stroked lightly with his thumb. "I know you weren't, Duo. Trust me when I say I appreciate you being responsible about this and a condom would make sense. However, with neither one of us having been in a relationship of this nature before I'd say we should be pretty safe to continue without a condom; but thank you for thinking of both our health's sake. It only proves once more to me that you really do care for me."

"Oh, Heero." Duo leaned close and gave his boyfriend a loving kiss as his fingers began to move again.

The passion that had dwindled a little between the two with the conversation began to fire again and very soon they were both panting once more and eager to continue.

Heero spread his legs wider, trying to entice Duo to push his fingers deeper and harder. He ached to be filled with something more, to experience all that Duo could give him. His prostate was brushed again and he arched his back forcing himself onto Duo's fingers and crying out with the passion that tore through him. "Please..."

Smiling softly, Duo gently withdrew his fingers and reached for the tube of lube only to have Heero beat him to it.

"May I?" Heero asked as he flipped the cap.

"Of course," replied Duo and sat back on his haunches, spreading his legs to give Heero complete access to his groin.

Heero raised himself up a little and squeezed a generous amount of the gel onto his fingers. Capping the tube he dropped it to the floor and reached for Duo's red, swollen penis. Gently he spread the slippery substance over the head and along the shaft, ensuring that every inch of Duo's delicious cock was coated with the gel.

Moaning quietly Duo suffered the torment with grace, thrusting his hips into the tender hand that slicked his length. The friction was welcome and Duo could feel his need growing by the second.

"There, all done," said Heero softly and began to lie back down, drawing his knees up and spreading his legs wide in offering. "Make love to me, Duo," he pleaded quietly, his eyes shining with love and anticipation.

Never had Duo seen such a lovely sight. Heero lying before him, skin flushed with arousal, cock hard and weeping whilst the small entrance flexed and beckoned him to come and play. He shuffled forwards on his knees and took up position between Heero's legs. He looked down again and then grasped the base of his penis, guiding the organ tip to rest against Heero's small hole where he paused, a little hesitant as the full realization of what he was about to do dawned on him.

"Please. Make love to me, Duo," Heero encouraged, putting as much warmth and love into his voice as he could manage.

Duo choked back a sob as he began to push his hips forwards, the head of his cock pressing insistently against Heero's entrance and seeking permission to enter paradise. The small hole refused to grant him entry at first but then relaxed and the head slid in. Duo paused for a moment, his mind in overdrive as the heat and tightness of Heero's channel invaded his nervous system. With a groan he began to press on, the shaft sliding easily inside as the head probed along the muscular walls, scraping the nerve endings of passage and cock head simultaneously and causing each man to moan.

With Duo finally sinking into his body Heero was torn in two. The delicious friction of Duo's cock against his silky walls far outweighed the burn of penetration. Yes it had hurt as Duo entered, Duo was certainly thicker than three fingers but the pain had subsided considerably as Heero's sheath was caressed deep inside, touching places he'd never known he had.

Once he was buried to the hilt, Duo stilled. He didn't trust himself to move for the moment, the heat of Heero had driven his hormones to the very edge. If he wasn't careful he'd shoot his load now before he'd had a chance to get started and Duo wanted to savor every moment of their coupling. The feeling was exquisite. Hot, moist heat surrounded his length and tight, muscular walls gripped at his shaft, determined not to let him leave. With some form of control returning to his body, Duo glanced down at his partner and felt the lump rise in his throat again.

Heero's eyes were closed, a look of utter contentment on his face as he adjusted to the invasion of his body. It was certainly different, but in a good way. He felt full, complete and utterly loved. He sensed his lover staring at him and opened his eyes to see Duo's clouded violet gazing tenderly at him. Heero smiled.

"You okay, Heero?" Duo asked the warmth evident in his voice.

"Never felt better," Heero replied honestly.

"Not hurting you?"

"No. It feels... wonderful. I can't really begin to describe it. Sort of full but needing more if that makes any sense."

Duo leaned forth and kissed Heero. "Thank you," he whispered and then began to withdraw from Heero's heat. Once he'd pulled back until only the crown remained inside, Duo pushed forth again, sheathing himself fully before repeating the action. He took it slow, unsure of himself as he explored unknown territory. He trusted his instincts and Heero's reactions to guide him and let him know if what he was doing was right. It felt good to him, that much was clear. Each plunge into Heero's body had his cock stroking along those moist walls; each retreat saw the muscles of Heero's channel trying to hold on to him and refuse his exit.

"Feels so good, Duo," moaned Heero as he let himself relax into his boyfriend's ministrations. The pressure of Duo's cock as it pushed inside and grated along his passage sent his nerves tingling. He'd never expected his channel to be so sensitive. He knew the anal ring was rich with nerves but he'd never have guessed in a million years that his inner walls could and would be just as endowed with those pleasure receptors. Just how many nerve endings he had was becoming clear as Duo appeared to be finding every single one of them and igniting a spark that soon grew into a raging fire.

After a shaky start Duo managed to find a rhythm and settled into it. His hips pumped in a steady forward and back motion, slowly gaining momentum. He didn't want to go too fast, afraid that he might hurt Heero. Besides, he intended to thoroughly enjoy this. His cock was squeezed by Heero's inner passage, caressed by the heat and bathed in the moistness, as he gently moved in and out. It was pure bliss to Duo and he couldn't think for the life of him why he'd been so afraid to commit to the sexual act before. Now that he had, he intended to savor every stroke.

Heero began to thrust his own hips, pushing up to meet Duo's inward thrust and force Duo's cock even deeper inside, tormenting further nerves as he sought to climb the ladder to eventual release. As he shifted his hips a little so Duo's next inward push found his prostate and Heero screamed.

The scream that came from Heero's throat frightened the living shit out of Duo and he immediately stopped his thrusting. "Heero?! You okay?" he asked, his voice deep with concern in case he'd done irreparable damage to Heero's bowel.

"Oh, gods... Fuck, that was so good. You have to do that again, Duo," Heero ground out and pushed his hips up.

It took Duo a moment to figure out that he hadn't hurt Heero, that the scream had been one of pleasure and not pain as he'd thought. He rolled his hips again, angling slightly and connecting with Heero's sweet spot once more only to have Heero arch into him, another cry coming from deep within. Duo grinned to himself and tried for that spot again. He managed to find it every three or four strokes and pretty soon Heero was a writhing, begging mess beneath him. 

"More, harder, faster," groaned Heero as he did his best to get Duo to pound into him, but unfortunately Duo wasn't about to do that.

"No, Heero. We go at my pace," the vet breathed as he sped up just a fraction. It was in the back of Duo's mind that Heero would be competing tomorrow and Duo didn't want to make Heero too sore that he couldn't ride. Better to take it at a steady pace, there would be plenty of times down the track that Duo would be able to give Heero the thorough pounding that he seemed to crave.

Growling softly but unable to make his lover go any faster, Heero had no choice but to enjoy the pace Duo was setting. His prostate was assaulted from time to time and his blood was on fire. His cock was throbbing and leaking precum at a steady rate. He was getting desperate to find his climax, his nerves raw from all the stimulation. His hands were fisting the sheets and getting so entangled that he couldn't reach between their sweaty bodies to find his cock, let alone bring himself off.

With Heero's body pushing frantically against his own and the channel pulsing around his shaft so Duo found his orgasm fast approaching. He couldn't hold off for much longer, the anticipation, the build up had robbed him of self control and he longed to fall into the abyss of climax. He could feel Heero's cock trapped between them and knew his lover must be aching for his release. He could also see Heero's hands tangled in the bedding and he decided to help his partner out. Shifting his weight a little, Duo brought a hand up and in-between their bodies. He found Heero's cock and wrapped his fingers around it, smearing the precum with his thumb to aid his hand's passage over the stiff flesh.

"Oh fuck!" cried Heero as Duo began to pump his length. Every nerve was alive, sensation thrumming through his body as his blood reached boiling point. With Duo's next thrust his prostate was hit again causing sparks to fly behind his eyes and his back to arch. His control was ripped from him as animal instinct took over and his body fought to find release. Another brush against his prostate and Heero was floundering on the edge. Duo's hand tightened around his cock, fisting him perfectly as another thrust tipped him over the brink.

The organ in his hand began to swell as Heero's body started to stiffen beneath him and Duo knew his partner was about to slide into heaven. He thrust again and pumped the shaft harder, determined to bring Heero to a climax like he'd never had before. Muscles bulged as Heero's body pressed up against him and Duo pushed as deep as he could get, hitting Heero's prostate once again and sending his partner flying. The cock in his hand began to pump Heero's seed from within, the sticky fluid pouring out from the slit in jets to coat Duo's hand and fall to Heero's chest and belly. Along with Heero's fall into nirvana came the exquisite torture of Heero's channel clamping down hard and spasming around his shaft.

The edge of his vision went white as Heero embraced his orgasm. Pleasure tore through him, burned along his nerves, seared his flesh as he let himself be consumed completely. He'd had some enjoyable orgasms in the past, but nothing could compare to this. He let himself get lost in the euphoria, drowning in pleasure as it rolled through him.

Duo managed to pump his hips a few more times as the stranglehold Heero's sheath had him in began to relax a little. He was so close, just a couple more pumps of his hips and he would be there. He could feel it creeping up on him, working through his system, poised to strike. Heero opened his eyes for a brief moment and that was Duo's undoing. The look of total satisfaction in those cobalt depths sent his own libido into overdrive and Duo felt himself falling into ecstasy. His back arched, his muscles stiffened as his hips forced his cock as deep as he could get into Heero's body. His cock head swelled and his balls drew close, pumping the rich, creamy fluid from inside, along Duo's shaft to explode from the tip and flood Heero's passage.

With his orgasm tearing through him all Duo could do was moan and pant his pleasure. Pulse after pulse left his penis, greedily sucked into Heero's sheath as the muscles of that sheath continued to ripple around his cock and suck as much of his essence from him as it could. His orgasm began to wane and Duo once more regained control of his limbs and collapsed against Heero. Their hearts thundered in their chests, blood roared through their ears and oxygen rasped in and out of starved lungs as the orgasmic high began to fade and normality set in once more.

Duo's now rather deflated penis slipped out of Heero's channel and Duo rolled slightly to the side. His head remained pillowed on Heero's chest whilst the remainder of his body stayed half sprawled over the other man. It took them both several minutes before either one could speak.

Heero was the first to regain his senses and wrapped his arms around Duo as his legs closed into a more comfortable position. He pressed several tender kisses to Duo's hair which was plastered to his head with sweat, eventually pushing a finger under Duo's chin and raising the other man's face so he could kiss those sweet lips.

Hazy violet eyes regarded his lover as the kiss broke and Duo found his voice. "How was it?" he asked.

Heero thought for a moment trying to find the right words to describe the feelings he'd just experienced. "Wonderful, satisfying, mind blowing, incredible," he said softly. "How was it for you?"

"Ditto to that," chuckled Duo. "I did okay then?"

"Duo, you were more than okay. I had no idea it could be so good."

"Me either," replied Duo. "It was such an indescribable feeling."

"You do realize that I'm not going to let you out of my sight now."

"Huh?" Duo's confused gaze met Heero's amused blue.

"As a lover, Duo, you are fantastic and I don't want anyone else getting to experience you or your talents. You're mine, Duo and I'm not about to let you go."

Duo's heart swelled and a lump formed in his throat making it hard for him to speak. "I don't intend to do this with anyone else other than you, Heero. You were wonderful and I have no intention of letting anyone else near this ass. It belongs to me now, Heero; mine, understand?" Duo kissed his lover fiercely, staking his claim and leaving no doubt that he meant what he said. 

"I don't want anyone else, Duo," Heero mumbled as he nuzzled Duo's hair.

"We really should clean up a little you know," said Duo, breaking the quiet moment. 

"Don't want to move, too comfy," replied Heero.

Duo snickered. "If we go to sleep like this we will regret it in the morning and you have to ride."

"Already been ridden," came the sleepy reply, "and it was marvelous."

Shaking his head, Duo managed to worm his way out of Heero's embrace and headed for the bathroom to clean himself off. He returned moments later with a towel and wash cloth and began to clean the various fluids from Heero's spent body. With their skins now a little less sticky, Duo crawled back into the bed and pulled the blankets and doona over their cooling bodies. He snuggled up against Heero who dropped an arm around him and pulled him close.

"Do you mind if I sleep here with you tonight, Duo? I don't think I have the energy to go back to my own room," asked Heero.

"I'll be most offended if you don't stay," replied Duo as he cuddled his 'teddy bear'. "In fact, I want you to sleep in here with me every night from now on, Heero. That's if you want to."

"Nothing would make me happier, Duo. Love you and thank you for making love to me." Heero gave Duo a tender kiss.

"Thank you for letting me, Heero. It was the most incredible thing I've ever experienced." Duo returned the kiss with one of his own. "I really think we should get some sleep now, we have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Mmmm... Already asleep," came the soft reply.

Duo chuckled and snuggled deeper into Heero's warm arms. He was safe, content and incredibly happy. He had a man who loved him just as much as he loved them and he'd enjoyed the most intimate moment of his young life. For Duo, everything was perfect.

~ * ~ 

tbc......


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38 

 

As the sunlight began to filter through the drapes Duo began to stir. He felt warm and happy, and with his sleep fogged brain it took him a few minutes to work out why. Slowly his mind came on line and he figured out that it wasn't just the doona that was keeping him warm, but rather the skin of the body currently spooned up behind him and the arm that lay possessively across his waist. Duo gave a soft smile as the reason for his happiness became apparent; it was attached to the body that was currently using him as a cuddle toy. Who would have thought that Heero would like to cuddle in bed? Duo would never have picked the normally stoic accountant as one who liked to cuddle like this, but secretly it pleased him. He gave a satisfied sigh and draped his own arm over the top of the one that lay over his waist. He took a quick glance at the clock, the small LCD display telling him it was only eight and that meant he could enjoy this feeling of intimacy for a while longer before getting up and starting the day.

With Heero still sleeping, Duo analyzed what had transpired between them last night and warmed as he recalled their lovemaking. It had been wonderful, no doubt about that. Duo was still on an endorphin high with just the thought of what they had done. He'd enjoyed every moment of it, every moan, every thrust, every whimper of need. His body positively thrummed with satisfaction. Did he have any regrets? No. Despite having denied himself the pleasure he'd enjoyed when making love to Heero last night for so long, he was still glad that he'd waited to lose his virginity. He understood now that Heero wasn't like so many of the others, Heero didn't want him simply to bed him; Heero was here for the long haul and that meant the world to Duo.

It had taken a long time for Duo to learn to trust Heero, to accept that Heero intended to stay here with him as a partner both in business and relationship, but gradually the accountant had proved his intentions and reinforced them time and time again. Slowly but surely he'd worked his way into Duo's life and heart until Duo couldn't imagine life without the dark haired man. Duo knew he was hopelessly in love with the other man and what made it even better was, he knew now that Heero was also totally in love with him.

Warm fingers lacing themselves within his own alerted Duo that Heero was awake and the vet began to roll over to face his partner and now lover. "Hey," he said softly.

"Hey, yourself," murmured Heero. "Sleep well?"

"Like a log," replied Duo with a smile. "How about you?"

"I'd say that would have to be the best night’s sleep I've had in a long time."

"Oh, yeah? The guest room bed not comfortable enough for you?" teased Duo.

"Oh, it's comfortable enough but it doesn't come with a built in bed warmer," replied Heero, giving the vet a dose of his own teasing.

"Why, Heero. I'm affronted that you should think of me only as a mere bed warmer," Duo said and then pouted, feigning indignation.

"Oh, you're much more than a bed warmer, Duo," replied Heero as he leaned in close and placed a kiss to Duo's forehead. "You're also one hell of a lover," another kiss, "perfect seducer..." another kiss, "and totally mine." Heero placed his last kiss to Duo's lips, showing the vet just how much Heero loved him.

Duo's violet eyes were misty when the kiss broke and he snuggled closer to Heero. "I think I could get used to this," he breathed. "Waking up each morning with you beside me. Duo was fully aware that they were both still completely naked underneath the covers and his morning erection was trying to make itself known. "How are you feeling this morning? Not too sore I hope as you have to compete this afternoon."

Heero flexed the muscles of his backside and moved his legs a little. "Surprisingly, I feel quite alright," he replied. "Although once I'm in the saddle that could be an entirely different story."

"I didn't hurt you last night, did I?" Duo asked, his voice full of concern.

Heero chuckled. "No, Duo. You didn't hurt me but I do feel rather sticky."

"If I recall correctly I did say something about cleaning up properly," Duo reminded his lover with an arch of his eyebrow.

"Hai, you did, but I was too comfortable to move."

"Then you only have yourself to blame," snickered Duo.

"Yes, mom," retorted Heero with a grin. "I think it might be a good idea to take a shower."

"I agree," replied Duo. "I'll race you." And with an evil smile, Duo tossed back the covers and took off for the bathroom, Heero hot on his heels.

* * * 

Sitting in the kitchen a short while later and sipping on a mug of tea, Heero watched his lover making scrambled eggs for them both. The hot shower had eased his body and he felt fine. There was a soft, subtle ache in his rear end but nothing you could call painful and he was glad that Duo had ignored his pleas to be pounded hard and fast. As much as he'd enjoyed their lovemaking he wanted to be sure he was okay to ride. He had a demon to conquer. A plate of scrambled eggs placed in front of him drew him from his thoughts and he looked up at his partner. "Thanks," he said and caught Duo's wrist, giving it a slight squeeze before releasing it.

Duo smiled and sat down to partake of his own breakfast. He lifted a forkful of the fluffy, yellow eggs to his mouth when he distinctly heard the slam of a car door. He stifled a groan.

Heero also heard the noise and looked at Duo. "You expecting someone?"

"No. You?"

Heero shook his head.

Duo dropped his fork back to the plate and stood up, crossing the kitchen floor to peer out the kitchen window. "I might have guessed," he muttered, although there was a smile on his face.

"Who is it?" asked Heero as he continued to eat his breakfast.

"Three guesses," replied Duo.

"Hilde?"

"Nope."

"Feed man?"

"Wrong again."

"Not..."

"Yup. Blondie," snickered Duo as the knock came at the back door. Duo opened it to admit one Quatre Winner, closely followed by Trowa. "I must say your timing sucks, Quatre."

"You didn't seriously think I would wait until this afternoon after the show to come and see my four legged nephew now, did you?" replied the blonde as he entered the kitchen. "Come on, get over it and eat your breakfast so we can see the new arrival." Quatre headed for the kettle and filled it up.

Trowa gave an apologetic smile. "I did try to get him to wait until this afternoon but you know what Quatre's like."

"No need to explain, Trowa," said Duo as he sat back down to eat his rapidly cooling eggs. "I'm surprised he wasn't hammering on the door at seven."

"It would have been six but I managed to keep him occupied for a bit longer," said Trowa with a smirk.

Heero nearly choked on his eggs. "Thanks, Duo," he said as the vet thumped him on the back. "Too much information, Trowa," he said to the brunette who simply shrugged and relaxed into a chair.

Trowa watched the accountant and the vet carefully. He sensed there was something slightly different about the pair but was unsure exactly what. He opted to reserve his judgment for the moment until he'd gathered more information. Quatre placed a mug of coffee before him and Trowa wrapped his long fingers around it.

Sitting in the only remaining chair, Quatre took a sip of his coffee before turning his teal eyes on Duo. "I want details," he said simply.

Heero did choke this time and Trowa thumped him on the back. Once Heero was able to breathe again the conversation continued but Trowa had witnessed enough to confirm his suspicions and made a mental note to speak with Duo on the side when he could get the chance. Still oblivious to what his partner was thinking, Quatre began to drill Duo on Scythe's foaling and the newborn.

Duo answered the questions to Quatre's satisfaction while still managing to get his breakfast down his throat. It wasn't quite as bad as he'd feared it was going to be, Quatre didn't demand all the finer points of the foaling, just the basics, which was probably a good thing as Duo didn't think that the gory details would go down too well given that they were trying to eat their breakfast at the time. As soon as Duo had finished eating, Quatre was on his feet and demanding to be shown his 'nephew'. 

Heero dumped the dishes in the sink, promising he would wash them later and the four headed out the back door and towards the paddocks and stable block. Heero went for the feed shed to get the horses feeds as they hadn't fed them yet, whilst Duo took the other two to the paddock where Scythe and little Shinigami were. Hearing the approach of the humans, Scythe gave a loud whinny.

"At least someone is pleased to see us," said Quatre as they approached the paddock fence.

"Actually, I think she's calling for her breakfast,” snickered Duo. "We haven't fed them yet."

Trowa looked up to where Heero was walking down the path from the stables, a feed bucket in each hand. Scythe gave another loud neigh as she smelt food in the air. Duo took the feed bucket from Heero and the three walked across the paddock to Scythe's feed bin and the waiting mare. Heero continued on into Zero's paddock and put the stallion's feed in before returning to fetch the gray that was making impatient noises from inside the stable block.

The foal heard his mother's calls and raised his sleepy head. Hearing the footsteps and voices of the humans as they neared so he thrust his front legs out and stood up, eyeing the approaching people and then deciding it was safer to hide behind his mother.

"Morning, Scythe," said Duo as he tipped the feed into the bin and mixed it around. Scythe blew softly through her nostrils and waited for the human to finish mixing up her breakfast. Once he had she lowered her muzzle and began to eat.

Quatre's eyes were fixed on the foal as they approached. His face lit up into a grin as he observed the small creature get to his feet and hide behind his mother. "Oh, Duo. He's so sweet," he cooed as he continued to watch. A dark muzzle followed by the rest of the head peered around at them from behind Scythe's rump.

"He looks intelligent," stated Trowa as he appraised the animal. "What does Heero think of his potential?"

"Heero really isn't saying much in that department. I think he wants to wait and see how he grows and develops. He seems happy enough though with the foal's overall conformation so far, so I guess we will just have to play the waiting game."

"What did you say you had called him again?" asked Quatre as he inched closer to the foal, squatting down to make himself less threatening.

"Shinigami," replied Duo as he observed the foal playing 'peek-a-boo' with Quatre.

"Shini - what?"

"Shinigami," repeated Duo.

"You can call me thick if you like, but what the hell does that mean?" said Quatre softly as he studied the foal who was inching a little closer to this human, his curiosity winning him over.

"Shinigami is Japanese for God of Death or Grim Reaper as you guys know it," said Heero as he joined the group, having put Zero out into the paddock with his breakfast.

"Nice choice of name," said Trowa. "I take it you're intending to leave the opposition for dead then when you compete on him in the future?"

"One can always hope," replied Heero.

"Not in the literal sense, I hope," snickered Quatre. "Who's a sweet fellow?" murmured Quatre as Shinigami inched even closer and began to extend his muzzle out to sniff at this person.

"There's a lot of 'ifs' in the equation yet, Quatre. It will be some time before we can even begin to think of him competing. Let him grow up first and see how he develops. All things considered, everything points towards him being a successful showjumper; but that will remain to be seen." Heero studied the foal again. Now that the animal was a few hours older his lines could be seen a little clearer. He was gangly looking, all legs with a small body, but foals were like that, you didn't really get to see their potential until they were at least yearlings.

Shinigami sniffed at the human, the scent filling his nostrils. He didn't sense any danger but was wary all the same. Instinct was a hard thing to overcome and it was in his instincts to smell for danger and react accordingly. It had been passed down through generations of ancestors and had served the horse well, which is why it was still around after so many millions of years. When the human sneezed, Shinigami jumped, snorted and spun around, retreating behind his mother and automatically seeking out her udder to quell his fears with the warm milk.

Quatre was a little disappointed that he'd had to sneeze right then, just as the foal was getting closer but he consoled himself with the thought that he'd have many more opportunities to spend time with the foal. He straightened up and paused for a moment as the blood flow returned to his cramped legs. "Oh, I almost forgot. I brought a treat for the new mother." Quatre walked over to where Scythe had her head still buried in the feed bin. Although she ate slower these days she rarely lifted her head from the feed bin until all the food was gone.

Standing next to his boyfriend, Heero let his arm drift around to encircle Duo's waist as he watched Quatre trying to coax Scythe to lift her head from the feed. "I wonder what he has for Scythe?" said Heero as he watched the blonde's attempts.

"Something tells me it isn't a bag of carrots," snickered Duo as he observed Quatre fishing in his pockets.

"Sugar cubes," said Trowa. "He thought the mare might like something different."

"This could be interesting," muttered Heero. "I don't think Scythe's had sugar before. I know Zero doesn't like it, he prefers carrots and after the incident with the apple..."

Heero didn't need to say anymore about that, they could all still recall Quatre, covered in slobber from the apple that Zero had pinched and thoroughly enjoyed.

Somehow Quatre managed to coax the mare's head out of the feed bin long enough to offer her a sugar cube. Scythe sniffed at it and then dismissed it, opting to return to her food, but Quatre wasn't one to give up so easily. He grabbed the mare's halter and gently pushed the sugar cube into her mouth, giving her no option other than to taste it. At first she wasn't sure what to make of it; then the sugar began to melt and the sweetness hit her tongue. Scythe's eyes appeared to glaze over as she crunched what was left of the sugar, rolling the sweetness around on her tongue and enjoying it immensely.

"Well, I'll be," said Heero as he watched in amusement.

"She likes it," snickered Duo.

"I'd say loves it would be more to the point. You think Quatre's going to be okay?" Trowa said with a touch of concern mixed with a hint of laughter.

Scythe had decided she liked this new treat very much and wanted more of it; lots more to be exact. She could smell it on the human and began to nudge Quatre with her nose, asking for more of the sweet treat. Quatre fumbled in his pocket before bringing out another sugar cube and placing it on the palm of his hand for the mare who lipped it up, a look of rapture on her face. Seconds later it had also been eaten and Scythe was nosing around Quatre looking for even more.

"Hey, shit, gimme a break for a second, girl. I can't... awww crap..." Quatre was doing his best to get the remaining sugar cubes out of his pocket whilst being molested by a determined mare.

"Ohhh, I think we should intervene," said Heero.

"Nah, let him handle it," snickered Trowa. "He deserves it after all the fussing he's done, nearly driving me insane to bring him out to see the foal."

"Could get messy shortly," sniggered Duo as he watched Quatre trying to fend off the determined muzzle that licked, nosed and basically slobbered all over him.

Scythe had no intention of letting the human leave without getting the remainder of the sugar she could smell. She was persistent in her attempts, searching the form with her nose, wuffling happily as her 'begging' was rewarded. The sugar was sweet and it seemed that Scythe couldn't get enough of it. Behind her, Shinigami watched as his mother 'attacked' the human. He was trying to puzzle out in his little mind why his mother would be reacting to the creature in this way. She wasn't showing any fear at all and that went against the foal's instincts. He gave a small snort of indignation at being ignored in favor of this other creature.

"Uh oh, someone's not happy," snickered Duo as he watched the foal.

"I think jealous would be a more apt term," said Heero in an amused tone.

The trio watched as Shinigami, his nose out of joint at being ignored by his mother in favor of this... this creature, decided to reassert himself. He snuck forward and sized Quatre up. Quatre was still too occupied with Scythe to see what was going on. The foal, having determined his opposition, darted forwards and attempted to bite Quatre, Quatre saw it coming at the last minute and ducked sideways out of range, not that the foal could have done much damage anyway, he didn't have any teeth as yet, just hard pads, his teeth would come through in a week or two. Scythe also jumped to the side, knocking Quatre flat on his back as she did so.

"Quatre!" yelled Trowa, sprinting forward as the blonde hit the deck.

"She's only protecting her baby," [1] yelled Duo as he turned to help out by trying to grab Scythe.

"So am I," [1] retorted Trowa as he reached the Inspector and helped him to his feet.

Shinigami had taken off across the paddock in fright when Quatre had ducked and then fallen, Scythe was right behind him having evaded Duo's attempt to grab her. The pair made an impressive sight, nostrils flared, tails kinked up over their backs and snorting. Zero joined in from the next paddock, he wasn't sure what the fuss was about but if the mare was prancing around and snorting then he would too.

Heero watched the scene unfold before him, the amusement sparkling in his eyes as he did his best not to break out into laughter. It really was quite comical. As normality began to return so he thought it best to stop his snickering and see if all parties concerned were okay. He walked across to where Trowa and Duo were checking Quatre over. "You okay?" he asked the Inspector.

"Yeah, I'm fine," replied Quatre. "Just a bruised ass and ego. I can't believe that little devil tried to bite me," he grumbled.

"Quatre, come on back up to the house and I'll make you a nice hot cup of tea to settle your nerves," said Duo with a grin.

Scowling, Quatre followed, Trowa hovering beside him still not completely convinced that his partner was all right.

Heero took Quatre through to the lounge room and sat him on the couch as it was softer than the hard, wooden kitchen chairs. Trowa waited in the kitchen with Duo as the vet set the kettle to boil and began the task of making them all a drink. "I didn't know that Quatre was your baby," snickered Duo as he busied himself with the mugs and tried to fill the silence.

Trowa just shrugged. "Duo?" Trowa thought that now was probably as good a time as any to confirm his suspicions.

"Yeah?"

"I hope you don't mind me asking or saying this, but..." Trowa paused for a moment noting the slight tensing of Duo's shoulders. "You and Heero seem a little... different today. I have a feeling that something has changed in your relationship, and I mean that in a positive sense." Trowa watched the body language of the other man very carefully. Muscles flexed, tightened and then relaxed. Duo didn't turn to face him but rather stared off out into the paddock through the kitchen window.

"I didn't think it was obvious," Duo began. "You're right though, something has changed."

"Ah."

Duo turned around slowly to face the man, his eyes were bright and shining and his voice took on a soft, warm tone as he spoke. "Heero and I... we - we became a proper couple last night." Duo lowered his eyes a little, a soft smile playing over his lips as his memory provided him with 'still shots' from last night's lovemaking. "Oh, Trowa. It was incredible, Heero was incredible, the whole thing was..."

"Incredible?" Trowa said with a smile.

Duo looked up and chuckled. "Guess I look like a love struck teenager, huh?"

"No. No, you don't, Duo. You look like a man that has found his soul mate and is very much in love. From that description I'd say that Heero is one hell of a lover then and it was worth waiting for?"

"Trowa, you have no idea. It was sweet, romantic, sensual and I loved every minute of it. You were right you know when you said I should trust my instincts and only go all the way when I was comfortable with the idea. And you know what, Trowa?"

"No, what?"

"I still respect myself; and Heero."

Trowa walked across the kitchen and gave Duo a hug, much to the vet's surprise. "I'm happy for you, Duo. I really am. You and Heero make a good couple and I know he's just as smitten by you as you are by him. Enjoy yourselves, let the relationship deepen and grow as you discover more about each other. Hold onto that respect and you won't go wrong. And if by chance Heero should happen to hurt you then I'll be straight around to deck him."

The awkwardness of the moment was broken with Trowa's last words and Duo couldn't help but laugh. His eyes were moist as he looked into the emerald depths of his friend. "Thanks, Trowa. I value your advice and friendship." Further conversation between the two was ended with the whistling of the kettle and Duo turned back to making the drinks.

***

Knowing that Heero had the show to go to, Trowa and Quatre left after finishing their drinks. Quatre had grumbled about the foal and his attempt to bite him, then he muttered something about the colt being ungrateful. But both Heero and Duo knew that Quatre would be back, probably tomorrow with the grudge gone and more gifts for Scythe and another attempt to win the foal over. Duo found it quite amusing to say the least. Once their guests had departed the pair set about cleaning the stable, preparing the night feeds and making sure that had everything they needed for the show. Duo took a haynet out to Scythe whilst Heero hung one in the float ready for Zero. With everything ready, Heero fetched his clothes and boots from the house, Duo clipped his pager on and checked his cell 'phone before locking up and joining his boyfriend.

Heero placed the clothes in their protective bag on the back seat of the car, his boots on the floor behind the seat and then went to fetch Zero. Duo lowered the tail gate to the float and waited for the horse. Zero appeared fresh and eager to go. He eyed the float and tail gate and bounded up as Heero led him in. This time Heero was sure to duck under the front bar and avoid the haynet. Tying Zero up, Heero exited the float and went to the back where Duo had secured the tail chain and was preparing to lift the tail gate up. They hoisted it up together and slid the holding bolts home. 

"All set?" Duo asked as they walked back to the car.

"As ready as I'm ever going to be," replied Heero.

Duo wrapped his arms around Heero and gave him a deep kiss. "I had to do that now, don't know when I'm going to get another chance,” Duo said with a smile. "You're going to do just fine, Heero."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," replied Heero and then returned the kiss. "I love you, Duo Maxwell."

"Love you too, Heero."

They got into the car, strapped on their seat belts and with the engine purring, set off for the show.

* * * 

The grounds of Salsbury Manor, where Lady Une lived and hosted the annual agricultural show, were alive with activity when Heero pulled up at the entrance gate. He showed the gate steward his passes and was waved through, a second steward pointing him in the direction he needed to go for the ring events. The car glided slowly across the grass as Heero guided it expertly around the grounds perimeter to where the horse floats were parked. He found a suitable spot with a large tree behind them and backed the float in. Once the engine was cut the two men got out and went to lower the tail gate and get Zero off the float.

The gray came down the ramp with his nostrils flared and tail kinked up. Zero looked around and gave a couple of snorts, seemingly growing another four inches in height as he danced on the end of the lead rope.

"Show off," muttered Duo with a grin.

"Settle down, Zero," growled Heero as the horse tried to tug him around, wanting to see everything there was going on around him. Heero ran a soothing hand over the gray's neck and Zero began to calm a little. "I think I'll walk him around for a few minutes, Duo. Try and get him to settle a bit."

"Okay. I'll go hunt up some water and tie the haynet to the outside of the float," replied Duo as he fished around in the trunk of the car for the water bucket and spare haynet.

"Thanks." Heero took the horse away from the cars and floats, letting him get a good look at all the activities. There were a couple of hack classes going on in two rings whilst in the third, the jumping course was being raised for the C grade championships. Heero wandered in the general direction of the jumping ring, wondering if the course set for the C grade would remain the same for the Open class. He passed a few familiar faces as he walked and nodded his head to those that said hello. The more he moved around, the more Zero began to settle until the stallion was eventually quite relaxed. Heero headed back to the float where he found Zero's water bucket and haynet waiting. There wasn't any sign of Duo though. Heero frowned and tied the horse up, checked Zero couldn't get a leg over the lead rope and satisfied himself that the horse was comfortable munching on his haynet. Heero then began to scan around, wondering where Duo might have gone.

He spotted the familiar braid over by the pony ring and began to walk across. As he neared so he noticed Hilde with Duo and smiled. No doubt the other vet had been keeping an eye out for them and had collared Duo as soon as she knew they'd arrived. Heero snickered to himself knowing that Hilde had probably been grilling Duo over Scythe's delivery. If that was the case then Heero was glad he'd been walking Zero around and avoided the conversation.

"Hey, Hilde. How's it going?" Heero asked as he stood next to Duo.

"Heero! I'm doing well, I was just saying to Duo here about how nice it is to be an official for a change." The woman grinned at Heero and flapped the blue official ribbon for emphasis.

Heero rolled his eyes and poked Duo in the ribs. "You want to watch out for her, a little bit of power has gone straight to her head. Next thing you know she'll be trying to take over the practice," he teased.

"Not bloody likely," returned Duo. "I'll soon bring her back to earth. A few rectal exams and a couple of anal gland cleanings should do the trick," he replied, his face schooled into neutrality.

"You wouldn't," said the woman in mock shock. 

"Watch me," grinned Duo.

"Ohhh, now if that isn't prejudice, I don't know what is."

"Hey! What ever happened to equal rights?"

"I'm not a feminist."

"And I'm not a chauvinist."

"I think you should quit now, Hilde. You're not going to win this round," chuckled Heero as he listened to the friendly banter.

Hilde gave the other vet a punch to the arm. "This is going to mean war, you know that, don't you?"

"Bring it on, baby," Duo replied a feral look in his eye.

"Shall I get out the boxing gloves and whistle now?" said Heero with an arch of his eyebrow.

"Maybe later," snickered Hilde. "I'm on official duty right now and it wouldn't do my image any good if I was to be seen beating the crap out of a fellow colleague."

Duo snorted. "You! Beat the crap out of me?! Dream on, woman!" Duo suddenly pounced and began to tickle the other vet.

Hilde collapsed to the ground in a fit of giggles. "No, no, stop, mercy..." she managed to gasp out in-between bouts of laughter.

"Give up?"

"Yes, I concede." Hilde drew in a couple of deep breaths and took the hand Duo offered to help her up from the grass. "This doesn't mean that you've won, you know. You may have taken this round but the battle will be mine."

Duo made to tickle the woman again and Hilde took off running, dodging around people before charging back towards Heero and hiding behind the accountant. 

"Don't look at me to save you," said Heero with an amused smile.

"I didn't ask you to save me, just be a barrier between me and Duo."

Duo strolled up and stopped in front of Heero. Heero raised his hands up in surrender. "Don't look at me, I'm only an innocent bystander."

"It looks more like aiding and abetting to me. Hmmm... I guess I will wait until we get home before passing sentence and punishment on you." Duo gave Heero a wink. "As for Madame here... I'm certain I will be able to find lots of horrible jobs back at the surgery for her. The dog kennels could do with a good clean out."

The loud speaker interrupted their friendly teasing as a call went out for the duty veterinarian to report to the animal nursery.

"Saved by the bell, or should I say, loud speaker. Gentlemen, it has been fun but I'm afraid my expert services are required elsewhere. I'm out of here. Good luck, Heero. I'll be watching from somewhere in the crowd," said Hilde and gave the rider a hug. "Look after him, Duo, and try not to worry too much," she said as she hugged Duo too and then left.

"You think I should have told her that they only called for her to judge the children's pet competition?" said Duo as he watched the other vet walk away.

"Children's pet competition?" inquired Heero.

"Yeah. You think showjumping is a competitive sport, let me tell you, Heero, you've not seen anything until you've witnessed a kids’ pet competition. It's a cutthroat competition and if little Johnny's ferret doesn't win then you risk the wrath of all his relatives. They'll hound you for weeks."

"Surely you're not serious?"

"Trust me, I think you have a better chance with a firing squad than the parents of some of those kids. All I can say is, I hope Hilde has health insurance, if not life insurance; she's gonna need it." Duo gave a grin, his violet eyes twinkling.

Heero shook his head. "Come on, Duo. I need to go to the secretary's tent and pick up my number. I also need to find out where a copy of the course plan is and then warm Zero up."

"Right with you, Heero." Duo fell into step beside his boyfriend as they went in search of the secretary's tent.

Heero's mind was on the competition ahead. He began to run through a mental check list, getting himself into the right mind set in readiness for competition. Beside him, Duo strolled, hands deep in his pockets as he tried to quell the butterflies in his stomach and wondered if he'd have any fingernails at all left by the end of the day.

~ * ~ 

tbc.....

[1] A cookie to anyone who can identify where this line was taken from. ~_^


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39 

They located the secretary's tent and Heero collected his number. The secretary pointed him in the direction of the course plan and Heero went to study it, happy to see that it was the same course for his event as it was for the C grade event. He gave a nod of approval. "Good," he said under his breath.

"Huh?" asked Duo. "What's good?"

"The course. It's the same for the Open event as it is for the C grade."

"And exactly how is that good?"

"It means that by watching a few of the C grade horses go through I will get an idea of how the course is riding, if there are any jumps in particular that are causing problems. I will also get a chance to observe the jump off course and see where the best parts are to cut corners."

"I think you should concentrate on getting clear in the first round Heero and not worry about the jump off for now."

"Good point." Heero smiled at the vet and ached to hug him. "Come on, let's go watch a few jumping the course before I saddle Zero and start to warm him up."

"I'm right with you, Heero." Duo smiled as he once again fell in step beside his lover.

They strolled back over to the jumping ring and found a spot where they had a clear view of the course. Heero knew he would have the chance to walk it properly before his event, but it was important to gather as much information as possible wherever you could and he certainly wasn't going to pass up this opportunity.

Duo was a little more familiar with jumping courses now than he had been twelve months ago; all thanks to Heero. He ran his eye over the various fences, they all looked pretty big and solid to him and they would be going higher for Heero's class. A shiver of apprehension ran down his spine. 

Heero spotted the shiver and had a good idea of what was going through Duo's mind; he was having similar thoughts himself, only not so much about the height but a certain fall the last time he'd jumped here. He shifted his weight a little and brushed his shoulder against Duo's, giving the vet a little comfort. "It will be all right, Duo," he said softly.

"I know but I can't help feeling worried. Anyway, it's my job to worry about you and Zero," Duo said quietly as he offered a small smile.

"God, I want to hug you," whispered Heero.

"And I want you to hug me, reassure me that you're going to be okay out there; but we can't, Heero."

"I know." Heero turned his gaze back to the course and settled for brushing his hand across Duo's back on the pretense of pointing something out. "Later I intend to kiss you senseless," he whispered.

Duo moaned under his breath and trembled slightly. "Promise?"

"Oh, yes."

* * * 

Heero had watched a few riders go around the course and it appeared to ride okay. There was only one section he could see that was giving anyone any trouble and that was from part B of the double to jump five. If you didn't follow a straight track coming into the double then you wouldn't be able to make a clean enough turn onto fence five and ran the risk of your horse either taking off too early or putting in a short stride and jumping awkwardly. That's presuming it didn't run out or refuse completely. Heero made a mental note to walk that section twice. 

They returned to the float and Zero in silence, Heero's mind on the course and Duo's mind on Heero. Duo popped the trunk and began to rummage around inside, searching for the grooming kit and jumping boots for Zero. When Heero appeared beside him and kissed him he nearly had a heart attack. 

"Fuck!"

"It's okay, Duo. No one can see us, we both have our heads inside the car trunk," teased Heero. "Besides, I couldn't wait until we got home to kiss you, I needed one now."

"Next time just give me a little warning will you? I nearly smacked my head on the trunk," replied Duo, although his tone was soft. "I needed one too," he added.

Heero smiled. "Help me get Zero ready?"

"Of course I will, just as soon as I can find where the hell I packed the grooming kit."

Heero laughed and went to take Zero's rug off while his boyfriend finished locating the missing items.

It didn't take long to get Zero ready; Duo brushed the animal's already gleaming coat while Heero fitted the jumping boots and then saddled the horse up. Duo put on the bridle while Heero fetched his boots and helmet, putting them on as Duo tightened the throat latch to the bridle.

"All set?" asked Duo as he held Zero ready for Heero to mount.

"Yeah. Thanks." Heero took the reins from Duo and slipped them over the horse's neck. He checked the girth again and tightened it a hole - Zero was apt to blow out his tummy so the girth always needed tightening - before pulling the stirrups down the leathers and preparing to mount. Heero swung himself up into the saddle with ease and landed softly on the horse's back. His right foot found the other stirrup iron and Heero gathered his reins up.

"Where you gonna warm up?" asked Duo as he handed Heero his whip.

"I think over there would be a good spot. It's pretty quiet so I should be able to get him to settle and loosen up before I take him over to the practice jumps."

"Okay. I'll follow you." Heero nudged the horse with his lower leg and Zero moved off into an easy walk, Heero guiding him behind the line of horse floats to a wide section of grass that was currently unoccupied. Duo walked along behind and found a spot under a tree where he could watch but not be in the way. 

Heero let the horse walk around for a bit, stretching his neck out and relaxing. Gradually he picked up the contact with the reins and applied a little more pressure with his legs, asking Zero for a little more effort. The horse obliged, shortening his stride a bit but putting more spring into each step. When Heero thought the horse was ready he applied more pressure, picking up the reins again and asking Zero to trot. Zero gave a snort, tossed his head and leapt forward, giving a huge buck as he did so. Duo gasped and put his hand to his mouth as his heart tried to jump out of his chest and his stomach greeted his feet. However, Heero never moved in the saddle. He sat the leap and the accompanying buck with ease, shortening his reins further and driving his legs hard against Zero's side, pushing the horse forwards and thus preventing Zero from bucking again.

Zero continued to prance and snort, dancing across the grass and generally showing off, his rider just as determined to bring him back under control. They shared a battle of wills for a few moments; Zero snatching at the reins and doing his best to unseat Heero. Heero remained quiet in the saddle, retaining his contact with Zero's mouth and using his seat and legs to drive the horse ever forwards. Eventually Zero gave up and lowered his head, working forward at a more suitable pace. Heero patted the gray neck.

"That's better, boy. Settle down and save your energy, you're going to need it later."

Zero cocked an ear back to listen and gave a little prance before settling back into a steady trot.

Duo's nerves began to settle down a bit as Zero gave up on his playing and began to work properly. Even to Duo's inexperienced eye he could see the partnership the horse and rider shared. When Zero began to work he was a sight to behold; a powerhouse of muscle and bone with a quick mind to compliment it. Heero was no slouch either and Duo thought again just how hard it was to see where Heero ended and the horse began. It was as if they were a part of each other.

After twenty minutes of trotting and cantering around, Heero thought it was time to take Zero over to the practice jumps and let him get his 'jumping legs'. Duo walked alongside, nodding occasionally to people he knew in the crowd as he passed them by. There were quite a few people at the practice jumps and Heero was quick to find a slot and work Zero around, waiting for his turn to take the horse over a jump.

Duo let his eyes wander over the crowd of people, horses and riders. A few he recognized from previous shows, going to the different shows with Heero you couldn't help but run into a lot of the same people. A couple of them said hello as they rode past and Duo returned their greetings with a smile. He watched as a tall horse approached the practice fence and sailed easily over it. Duo knew the face but couldn't think where from at the moment. He frowned as he watched the rider continue on, slotting back in amongst the riders still practicing and awaiting another turn to jump. Duo didn't ponder much though as his attention turned back to Heero who was getting ready to bring Zero into the practice jump. Duo held his breath.

"Steady, my son," said Heero softly as he felt Zero tense slightly beneath him. The gray had spotted the jumps and the excitement began to flow through him. Heero circled and then brought the stallion towards the jump, sitting down in his saddle and trying to keep the horse together. Zero was pulling, eager to be jumping and it took all of Heero's skills to stop the horse from rushing the fence and flattening it. He kept the animal in check until he was three strides away, then he let the reins slip slightly through his fingers and brought his body forwards to follow the movement of the horse as he jumped. Zero shortened his stride a fraction, sat well back on his hocks and sprang into the air. He cleared the fence with a foot to spare and gave a toss of his head as he cantered away.

"Show off," muttered Duo under his breath, but he couldn't help the grin. Zero was looking in fine form.

Heero took the gray over the practice jumps another six times, Duo raising the rails for him for the last couple to get Zero's mind really on the job at hand. With the gray now responding perfectly to his aids, Heero decided he'd had enough. He brought the horse to a walk, collected Duo and made their way back to the float to rest before the competition. The C grade was almost finished, the last two riders awaiting the jump off then there would be the presentations before the course was raised and open for walking for the Open class. Zero was tied back up to the float, his girth loosened but the saddle left on. Heero put the rug on over the top, checked Zero's water and made sure the horse had enough hay to keep him occupied for a short while and then managed to sneak in a quick grope and kiss of his boyfriend inside the float where Duo was hanging up the bridle before grabbing his helmet and whip and walking back to the ring.

When they arrived back at the ring the presentation was underway for the C grade class so the pair stood to the side and watched. The course was then raised and the loudspeaker announced it was open for walking. Heero waited for a couple of minutes before entering the ring, giving the main crowd a chance to get a little ahead first. He hated having a lot of people around him when he walked a course, their chatter could be distracting. Heero preferred to walk with just Duo for company, the vet didn't say anything unless asked his opinion by Heero and then he was totally honest with his answers.

"Ready?" Heero asked as he turned to Duo.

"Yup. How about you?"

"Come on, let's go walk a course and map out a winning game plan." Heero gave his partner a warm smile and brushed lightly against him as he headed for the ring and the start flags.

Duo grinned. "Right with you, Kemosabe." [1]

Heero rolled his eyes. "You'll keep, Tonto." [1]

They entered the ring and Heero paused at the start flags. He took a long look around and then with a deep breath began to walk the course.

The course was quite a nice one in Heero's opinion. The first round wouldn't be too demanding, provided you got the turn from 4B to 5 correct. He could see that that would depend a lot on how you took the double, if you came in too fast you wouldn't have the horse collected enough to follow the proper line, too slow and the horse wouldn't have the impulsion needed to clear five. "Very clever," muttered Heero.

"Huh?" said Duo as he paused beside Heero.

"The course designer has been very clever here." Heero turned and pointed to show Duo what he meant as he explained. The turn from part B onto fence five. You will need to have your horse set up just right for the double if you're to have any chance of successfully clearing five. It's definitely a rider’s course, designed to test the skill of the rider and education of the horse in regards to listening to his rider. If the horse is educated enough it will have no problems clearing the fences; but... If it isn't then there could be a few rails hitting the deck today."

"Ahh." Duo gazed at the course. He still wasn't as tuned in as Heero was but he'd learnt a lot over the past months. 

"Come on, let's finish walking it." Heero continued on around the fences, pausing to look back from time to time. When they got to the last fence, Heero stopped and gazed at it. It was a triple bar, tall and wide.

Duo swallowed as he looked at the sea of poles before him. He walked around to the back pole of the jump and looked over it. He could only just see over the top of it and that only added to his nervousness. It was big, no two ways about it; it was high and it was wide. Duo began to have doubts about Heero and his horse clearing it. It had also been the jump that Heero had fallen at in last year’s show.

There was an unfamiliar twisting in Heero's gut as he studied the fence. He shook his head and tried to dismiss the feeling. Zero could jump that with feet to spare, he told himself. They'd jumped bigger fences at previous shows, and wider ones; so why was he having these thoughts? 

Psychological, that's what it was, his mind unsettling his nerves. Heero knew it was simply because it was the same fence that had taken him out last year but he needed to quell that fear, conquer that demon for if he didn't... Well, he might as well give up jumping completely and take up knitting. He snorted at that thought.

"You okay?" asked Duo as he reappeared at Heero's side. "If you're having second thoughts you can always scratch, no one will think any less of you if you do."

Heero shook his head. "Iie. I won't scratch. I have to do this, Duo. Zero is more than capable of jumping this course. If I want to qualify him and stand any chance of being selected for representing the country in international competition I have to jump. International courses are much higher and harder than this. No, I need to do this; I need to lay this demon to rest." Heero turned his blue eyes to his lover. "You understand what I'm trying to say?"

"Yes, Heero. I do," replied Duo softly. "I know you can do it, I have faith in you."

Heero didn't give a shit who was around and watching at that particular point in time. His heart was warmed by his boyfriend's words and he needed to express his gratitude and thanks. He draped an arm over Duo's shoulder and gave him a quick hug. "Thanks, I needed that."

* * * 

Duo stood in the collecting ring fidgeting nervously. Heero was walking Zero around, keeping the horse warm and alert. There were three more to jump before Heero's turn. So far Heero's prediction about fence four B and five was proving to be correct. Even Duo could pick the differences by now between horses that were obviously seasoned competitors and those that were still to gain experience. Once they had completed a couple of jumps on the course Duo could tell if they were going to be successful or not.

So far there had only been two clear rounds from the ten competitors that had jumped. Heero was number fourteen, twelve was just entering as eleven came out with four faults. The class had a total of eighteen competitors in all with the better jumpers featuring in the latter half of the draw. Of the four remaining to jump after Heero, two were equally, if not better than Zero and Heero. Duo knew these would be the ones to watch out for.

Subconsciously Duo began to bite his fingernails as number twelve cleared fence after fence and then came to grief at five. The horse came in too short, didn't have enough impulsion and ran out the side of the fence. When presented a second time, it cleared it effortlessly but the damage was done. Four penalties. Number thirteen went into the ring and Heero brought the gray to stand beside Duo as he watched and waited for his turn to jump. Duo leaned against the horse and gave Heero's calf a squeeze.

"Be careful," he said softly as he looked into Heero's blue eyes.

"I will," replied Heero with a smile. "Stop biting your fingernails," he chided and Duo sheepishly lowered his hand.

"Number fourteen? You're next," said the gate marshal.

Heero nodded and then turned his attention back to the ring where the current competitor was busy demolishing the brush fence then having a refusal at the triple.

"Eight faults," announced the loud speaker. "Next competitor, number fourteen; Heero Yuy on Zero."

"Good luck," said Duo as Heero nudged the stallion forwards to enter the ring. "Be safe," he added under his breath.

Heero gave his lover a nod and blew him a subtle kiss as he entered the ring and then completely focused on the course ahead. 

Riding across the green turf, Zero's step had a spring in it. Heero found the judge and saluted then gathered up his reins and turned the horse, heading for the start flags and awaiting the bell that would signal he could commence the course. The bell rang and Heero pushed his helmet harder onto his head, collect the reins and sent Zero forward into a steady canter. The flags appeared and fence one loomed ahead. Everything faded into the background, all that remained was the horse beneath him and the jumps ahead as Heero's concentration narrowed to the task at hand.

Zero bounded up to the first fence and cleared it with a flick of his tail. The second one appeared and they popped over that, Zero giving a snort as if to say, 'These aren't worth the trouble'.

"Steady, Zero. These are only the lead ins, the tough ones are yet to come," Heero said as he ran a hand down the gray's shoulder. The skin rippled under his fingers as Zero silently communicated his acknowledgment back. They bore down on the third fence and Zero grunted as he lifted off, clearing it easily. Now for the double.

Heero checked the animal, driving Zero's hocks further underneath him and re-balancing the horse. Zero had the necessary impulsion and sailed over the first element, landed, took a stride and gathered himself up for the second part. He cleared that and still full of impulsion cantered a couple of strides, made the turn and came into five perfectly balanced. 

Duo could hardly bear to watch as Zero approached the double. He could see Heero bringing the horse together underneath him and Zero's stride shorten a fraction before the horse cleared both elements, landed and then made a beautiful turn to come into five perfectly. Now there was only the triple bar left for Duo to worry about.

Fences six and seven were cleared in similar style, Zero seeming to bound over them with eagerness. Heero was really enjoying himself now. There was something about the wind in your face, the power and beauty of the animal beneath and the jumps ahead that gave one an adrenaline rush like nothing else. To know that he controlled that power, that just the slight shift of his weight, or shorten or lengthen of his rein would allow that power to be unleashed was a huge buzz.

The wall loomed before them; a massive, solid structure of red 'bricks' and Heero felt a ripple of apprehension run through Zero. "It's okay, boy. Nothing to worry about," he reassured the horse. Whilst Zero loved to jump and definitely had his favorite types of jumps, walls were not one of them. Heero sat down harder in the saddle and rode the horse together. He held the contact, pushing Zero's hindquarters underneath him and containing all the energy in a tight ball beneath him. Three strides away, Heero went forwards, applied his legs and drove the horse forward. 

Zero didn't hesitate, the energy was unleashed and Zero exploded over the wall, clearing it with inches to spare. He landed safely on the other side and headed for the final jump; the triple.

Heero gave the stallion a quick pat before setting his sights on the final fence.

Back in the collecting ring, Duo was hopping nervously from one foot to the other, desperately trying not to bite his fingernails any further. He felt as if he'd ridden every inch of the course with Heero. He held his breath as the pair bore down on the final jump.

Steadying the horse again, Heero felt the fear begin to rise in his gut. The triple was ahead of them and it looked like an endless sea of poles. The momentary lapse of concentration combined with the touch of fear had Zero hesitating. The stallion picked up on his rider's unease and wondered what there was to be worried about. Zero eyed up the fence ahead and figured there must be something awful about it if his master was radiating fear.

Zero faltered in his stride, unsure what to do and hoping his master would tell him.

Duo saw the horse slowing, watched as Heero stopped riding the animal and gave a low groan of despair. "Heero," he muttered quietly. "What the fuck do you think you're doing? Get your act together and ride the damn horse!" 

Zero gave a low snort and shook his head. His canter had slowed considerably as his confusion grew. As they passed the collecting ring on their way towards the last fence, Zero hesitated, wondering if he shouldn't simply duck out now.

Duo could see the uncertainty in Heero as they neared the collecting ring where he was standing. He could read the body language and knew instantly what was wrong. He edged a little closer to the rope that separated the collecting ring from the main arena, eyed up the horse and rider as they approached and when they were close enough, Duo called out. "Heero! I have faith in you."

Somehow the words managed to penetrate Heero's mind and he abruptly brought himself out of his distraction. With a jolt he realized that they were fast approaching the triple and Zero was losing impulsion. Shoving the fear aside he set his jaw, grit his teeth and sat down hard in the saddle. He shortened his reins, put his legs onto the animal and rode the stallion forwards, trying to regain some of that energy they would need to clear the jump. If Zero faulted then it wouldn't be the horse's fault; it would be Heero's. And Heero couldn't bear to think that he would let his horse down, not after Zero had done so much for him.

Duo gave a small sigh of relief as he watched Heero pull himself together and then promptly held his breath as Zero did his best to get himself together for the jump. It was going to be a big ask seeing how the horse wasn't forward going as much as he should be due to Heero's lapse in concentration. Their striding was slightly off and Duo's heart rose into his throat as he watched. Everything appeared to go into slow motion. Zero sized the jump up, Heero applied the leg as he gave the horse rein but Zero was on the wrong striding, they came into the fence too quick, Zero having to put in a short stride and seeming to take off right under the first pole.

The crowd all gasped as one as the gray stallion sat right back on his hocks, pushed off hard and propelled himself into the air. To Heero it felt as if Zero was launching himself vertically going up and up without there being any end to the ascent in sight. Zero pushed as hard as he could, muscles in his haunches straining hard as he leapt into the air. His front legs tucked neatly underneath his body as his hind end followed him upwards. 

Heero felt the strain of the horse as he did his best to clear the fence from a seemingly impossible angle. They were too close, way too close and yet Zero continued to rise into the air. The horse leveled out, his back arching slightly and then they began their downward plunge. With a twist of his hindquarters, Zero's hooves touched the back pole, the rail rocking for a moment and then settling back into the cups. Zero's forelegs came out in preparation for the landing, the full weight of horse and rider being absorbed by the bones, ligaments and tendons of those fragile legs.

Given the awkwardness of the jump, Zero pecked on landing, stumbled to his knees but forced himself up and forwards. Heero was almost unseated, pitching forwards and then taking a blow to his nose from Zero's neck as the horse threw its head up in an effort to regain his footing. Heero's eyes watered but he let the reins slip through his fingers so as not to jag Zero in the mouth. As the horse recovered so Heero was able to clear his vision long enough to spot the finish flags and take up enough contact with his reins to guide Zero through.

"Clear round," blared the loud speaker.

Heero guided Zero to the exit where he was congratulated by fellow competitors as he scanned around for Duo. He spotted the familiar braid as the vet tried to get through the crowd to his boyfriend.

"Congratulations," said a voice to Heero's left and the accountant looked around to see a familiar face smiling at him. "Spectacular finish if I do say so."

"Thank you, Mr. Khushrenada. Momentary lapse of concentration. I'm lucky that Zero here took charge and got me out of trouble."

"He's an exceptional animal, and please, call me Treize," replied Treize as he gave Zero an appreciative look.

"Yeah, he is," said Heero and gave the stallion a pat. He noted Treize's number; eighteen. "Good luck to you."

"Thank you. It will be interesting to see how Epyon here handles the course. He's only been in open competition for the last four shows," replied the man as he patted the satiny neck of the liver chestnut he was riding.

"There you are," said Duo as he materialized beside Zero. "What the fuck were you thinking out there, Heero? Shit! You nearly gave me a heart attack. Now I think I need a change of underwear as well!" Duo paused when he realized that Heero had company. "Oh, errr... Sorry."

Treize smiled. "No problem, Mr?"

"Maxwell, Duo Maxwell of the Maxwell Veterinary Hospital."

"Duo, this is Treize Khushrenada," said Heero who had finally gotten his senses back on line and remembered his manners. "Treize, this is Duo Maxwell, head vet of the practice and my partner." Heero didn't elaborate on the word 'partner', he figured Treize could take it whatever way he wanted to.

"Pleased to meet you, Duo," replied Treize and leaned forwards over the horse's neck to extend his hand to Duo.

"Likewise," replied Duo as he shook the offered hand.

"If you will excuse me, Treize, I need to walk Zero around. Good luck again."

"No problem, Heero. I hope to challenge you in the jump off." Treize rode away, leaving the pair to their own devices.

Immediately the other man was gone, Heero dismounted and loosened Zero's girth whilst Duo ran the stirrups up and checked Zero's legs for any signs of damage. Other than a few grass stains the gray appeared to be okay, which Duo was grateful for. The vet didn't say anything more, opting to wait until they were away from the crowd in the collecting ring. Once they had moved out and were walking Zero around, Duo gave vent to his bottled up emotions.

"What happened out there, Heero? One minute you were riding beautifully and the next you went to pieces."

"Duo..."

"Shit, Heero. Have you any idea how I felt standing on the side lines wondering if you were going to come out in one piece again?"

"Duo...I'm..."

"I'm surprised I didn't have a heart attack watching you over that last fence. I honestly thought I was going to be scraping you up off the grass and heading to the hospital again."

"Duo, I'm sorry," said Heero, finally managing to get a word in.

"And so you should be, making me worry like that," huffed Duo. They stopped by some trees for a moment and Duo put Zero between them and the people around. He quickly pulled Heero to him and gave him a fierce kiss. "You had me scared, Heero," he said as he broke the kiss, his body shaking now that the adrenaline had eased.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I... I just fell apart for a moment there. Just seeing that jump, I... I couldn't help but think about what happened last time." Heero lowered his eyes. "Kinda stupid, huh?"

"No, Heero. Not stupid, perfectly logical. But you have conquered that demon now. You cleared the fence without a problem... well a little bit of a problem but Zero here managed to get you over okay and kept you safe."

"Yeah, he did, didn't he?" said Heero softly. 

"He's one hell of a horse, Heero," said Duo quietly as he petted the gray. "And thank god his legs are all right, you didn't do any damage to that weaker tendon."

Zero wuffled and began to search their pockets for carrots. Duo duly produced one and fed it to the animal.

"Now you have to go back out there and jump again, this time I want to see you concentrating all the way, no more mishaps. Zero is jumping his heart out for you, Heero, so you be sure to keep with him and not let him down."

"I'll try," replied Heero with a grin.

"What?"

"You're sounding more like a mother or a spouse than a groom," Heero teased.

"Yeah, well..." Duo suitably blushed.

"I promise to keep focused this time. I've done that jump now and proven to myself that I can do it so there won't be any more dramas."

"Good. I don't think my heart could take another round like that and I didn't bring a second pair of underwear with me."

"God, I love you, Duo."

"Love you too, Heero."

Their tender moment was cut off by the cheering from the main arena followed by the loud speaker announcing another clear round by Treize Khushrenada. The announcement was followed almost immediately by another one stating that the course would now be raised for the jump off and would the following numbers please report to the collecting ring.

"Better get going back I suppose," said Heero. "Although I would like to try and put Zero over a couple of higher practice jumps first."

"Come on then, if we go now you will have time to get a couple in while they're raising the course," said Duo as he began to tighten Zero's girth.

Heero chuckled. "Okay."

Heero took the horse over a couple more practice jumps that Duo raised by six inches. Zero was still fresh and eager to go, the little mishap earlier not having dampened his spirit in any way. Heero was happy with the result and vowed to keep his head together in this round. He would need to as he was against the clock, the jumps had been raised and it was a shorter course.

The pair made their way back to the ring to watch the first competitor in the jump off head out to start their round. Heero had already figured out his game plan, he knew he could save time by angling fence five; that was if he could get Zero over four A and B the way he wanted. He could also shave a few seconds by taking the wall a certain way and making a sharp turn to come into the triple. It would mean he'd need to have Zero completely focused and between hand and leg to pull it off successfully, Zero would only have four strides from the wall to the triple so it was vital that Heero ride it accurately. Heero didn't tell Duo his intentions as he knew it would only make his partner worry more and looking at Duo's almost non existent fingernails, the vet had already experienced enough excitement for the day.

Heero was the fourth to jump in the jump off, six riders having made it through in total. After Heero would come another girl and then Treize. Heero wasn't too worried about the girl or the other three competitors, he knew his main rival was going to be Treize. Despite being on a relatively inexperienced horse, Treize was a master horseman and Heero knew the man would be using every ounce of skill to get his horse around in the fastest time.

Treize was the one he would have to watch out for.

The first of the riders went around the course slowly, obviously not intending to push their animal. Heero thought that was a wise decision as the horse was obviously 'green' and it wouldn't do its confidence any good to be rushed at this stage of the animal's education. They came out with another clear round but a slow time of 68.57 seconds.

The next competitor rode in, saluted the judge and set off at a cracking pace.

"They're not gonna last long," muttered Duo as he watched the horse gaining speed but losing impulsion. Sure enough, they were traveling too fast and the horse was beginning to flatten. The horse pulled a rail on part B of the double then came into five completely wrong and flattened the entire fence. After that they settled down a bit and finished the remainder of the course without incident but the damage was done.

"Eight faults and a time of 72.32," announced the loudspeaker.

The next rider entered and began their course, starting out at a reasonable pace and putting on a little speed between the fences, steadying back as they approached the take off point. Duo could see this was an experienced rider who wasn't taking chances. They didn't make very sharp turns though and lost precious seconds. They did however manage to go clear.

"Clear round in a time of 52.28. That is our current leader, ladies and gentlemen. There are three more riders to go. Can they beat the time of 52.28?"

Heero's mouth was set in a grim, determined line as he picked up his reins and prepared to enter the ring. He felt a touch to his leg and looked down to see Duo's violet eyes looking up at him. Duo motioned for him to come closer so Heero leaned over Zero's shoulder and was pleasantly shocked when Duo gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"Go knock 'em dead, Heero. Show them all what you can do."

Heero gave a smile. "Mission, accepted." He gathered up his reins and pushed Zero forwards and into the ring.

Now was the moment of truth, now was the time to show everyone exactly what he and Zero were capable of.

Heero saluted the judge, sat into his horse and cantered towards the start flags. The bell sounded, Heero's concentration narrowed, everything faded into the background and there remained just himself, Zero and the jumps ahead.

He broke through the electronic timer beam and began the course.

~ * ~ 

tbc......

[1] From the classic TV show 'The Lone Ranger'

In the previous chapter the line was taken from the movie Jurassic Park - Lost World ~_^


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40 

Zero passed between the start flags and the electronic timer began to count off the seconds. Heero started off at a reasonable pace, not too fast. He could put the speed on a little later, for now it was important to keep Zero well balanced and full of impulsion. It wasn't always speed that won these events, it was being able to have your horse between hand and leg, collected together enough to be able to change stride and direction at a moment’s notice. Heero knew where he could cut corners, had enough trust in his horse and the animal's capabilities to know he could pull this off. All he needed to do was keep his cool and remain focused.

The first fence was taken easily and Zero picked up speed but retained impulsion as he approached the second fence. Zero shortened stride, drove his hocks underneath him and cleared the second fence with inches to spare. Landing safely he gathered himself together and headed for the third fence in the jump off course.

The thrill of the competition had begun to flow through Heero's veins; his blood was pounding, the adrenaline coursing through him as he made split second decisions. The double was fast approaching and Heero knew if he was to have any chance of winning he would need to get this right. He sat down harder in his saddle, used his seat and legs to drive Zero together, holding the contact until the horse was like a coiled spring beneath him. 

Four strides away and Heero began to come forwards, legs still pushing and containing the energy. 

Three strides and his hands inched a little up the neck allowing a fraction of that energy to come forth. 

Two strides and Heero applied the leg as strong as he dared.

One stride and Heero unleashed the power he currently held in check. Hands went forwards up the neck, Heero's body following as Zero pushed off from the ground and shot into the air.

The first element was cleared, Zero landed, Heero's legs immediately on him and pushing him together for the second element. One stride and Zero was again airborne. As his forelegs touched the ground so his master urged him together. One stride and Zero was balanced, second stride and he was turning, two more strides and he was approaching fence five. Zero gathered himself together and leapt forwards, muscles straining as he cleared the fence.

Duo tried to shove his hands into his pockets; he'd chewed his fingernails so badly that anymore and they would surely bleed. He held his breath as Heero rode the gray beautifully, positioning the horse perfectly for each fence, his timing and accuracy a pleasure to behold. This was the Heero that Duo was used to seeing ride, confident and yet sensitive to his horse. Zero was responding to each touch from his master's hand, leg or seat, his ears flicking back and forth showing just how much Zero was listening to his rider.

Once more Duo was in awe of Heero's skills. The pair were one complete unit, appearing to blend together and seemingly read each other's minds. To anyone who was watching, whether they knew anything about horses and competition or not, it was clear that these two were in complete harmony with each other. Besides the small knot of fear that Duo always carried in his stomach when Heero competed, there was also a feeling of pride. That was his boyfriend out there and despite the fact that their relationship couldn't be made public, Duo was safe and happy in the knowledge that it was him that Heero would be going home with, his arms that Heero would seek his comfort and congratulations within and his bed that Heero would be sharing.

Watching Zero clear the double and then complete the turn to sail over fence five had Duo almost cheering. Zero was going so well, full of forward impulsion and looking for all the world like a champion; which in Duo's eyes, he was. Win or lose, Zero would be getting a bucketful of carrots tonight. Duo's eyes narrowed and he began to hold his breath as Heero approached the remaining four jumps. 'It isn't over until the fat lady sings'. Heero's words came back to Duo and he gave a wry smile. He looked around, wondering if he could find a portly lady willing to sing and then shook his head, snorting at himself for his mind's silly wanderings. He brought his attention back to Heero and the gray who were approaching the brush fence.

"Easy, Zero," muttered Heero and the horse cocked back an ear. 

Zero was feeling good, really good and he was loving every minute of the competition. His ears swiveled as he listened to his master's tone of voice, his body was finely tuned to each slight shift of his master's weight on his back or pressure of leg against his side and his mouth was receptive to the light touch that guided him. He trusted his master and willingly gave everything he had to please him.

The next fence was coming up fast, a little faster than Heero would have liked but Zero collected himself together and flew over it, ears cocked and looking for the next jump. Turning to the left, Heero lined them up for the gate, after that he would need to have Zero exactly where he wanted him if he was to angle the wall and come into the final fence - the triple - correctly. Heero refused to let himself dwell on the triple, concentrating on clearing the gate and getting the line and track to the wall correct.

The gate disappeared beneath them and Heero had to sit in hard to get Zero to come back to him. The stallion was fresh and eager to jump, he didn't want to slow down. "Steady, boy. We have to get this one right or we're fucked. No second chances," murmured Heero as he gave the sweating neck a quick touch.

Zero sensed the importance in his master's tone, snorting lightly as he fought to bound ahead, only to be held in check by Heero's hands. The wall was coming up in front and Zero hesitated. He really didn't like walls all that much.

The hesitation allowed Heero to get his horse back between hand and leg. He used his seat and legs, pushing Zero together beneath him whilst holding the reins tightly to prevent the stallion from shooting forwards. The gait came to a collected canter with Zero almost cantering on the spot as his master lined up the wall. 

Still keeping the canter as slow as he dared, Heero turned the gray to the angle he wanted and then let go. He gave Zero his head, applied the leg and went up and forwards in his stirrups. Zero drove his hindquarters under his body and leapt into the air, taking the wall at the right angle and landing well out on the other side.

As soon as Zero's hooves touched the ground Heero was there, contact established with the stallion's mouth whilst his seat and legs brought the body together and spun the horse around, all within two strides of landing. The crowd gave a cheer, urging the gray and his rider on as they headed for the final fence; the triple.

"Easy, Heero. Steady, Zero. Don't push it too much, keep the concentration. That's it, don't lose it now. One fence and you're home," Duo muttered to himself under his breath and grabbed the end of his braid to occupy his hands and save the last of his nails. He was aware of the crowd and their cheering, his heart was hammering in his chest, breathing shallow and Duo began to wonder why the hell he hadn't thought to bring some sedatives with him. Even though Duo didn't drink as a rule the thought of a shot of scotch right now was more than welcome. The pressure was so intense he thought he might get an aneurysm and wondered how Heero managed to look so cool and calm out there. Duo was feeling like he'd run a marathon, in forty degrees Celsius heat and he wasn't even competing!

Christ! If he was this bad at a simple Agricultural show, what the hell would he be like if Heero succeeded in gaining selection to represent his country?! Maybe he would make medical history by being the first man to give birth... to kittens. Duo didn't want to watch, so much hinged on this final fence and it took all his will power to keep his eyes on the horse and rider. He found his mouth moving, muttering a quiet prayer for Heero's safety, which surprised him as he'd never been a religious person. He guessed it couldn't hurt though and let his mouth continue.

Concentrating hard, Heero's world narrowed to the triple bar. Standing now at five foot it was an impressive jump. A brief flash of flying poles, falling horse and the sudden, hard, unforgiving bite of the ground passed through his mind but Heero refused to acknowledge it. He could do this; Zero could do this. Duo's smiling face found its way into his head and he heard the soft words of his lover echo in his head. 'I have faith in you'.

"This one's for you, Duo," Heero said softly and rode the stallion with all the skill he possessed.

Zero responded gamely, sizing up the jump and picking his take off point. The angle from the wall had brought him in perfectly and Zero never hesitated.

"Now, boy!" encouraged Heero as he went forwards in his saddle and gave the gray his head.

Zero gave a grunt and gathered himself together. Forelegs left the ground, tucking underneath the chest as the hindquarters pushed off, launching the horse and his rider into the air. Heero looked down to see the blue and white poles underneath as Zero seemed to grow wings and fly over them. The forelegs stretched out, hind ones followed suit as the back pole was cleared and gravity began to pull the animal back to earth. Zero's front hooves bit deep into the turf, taking the shock of impact and then lifted as the hind legs came down to take their place. Heero followed the movement of the horse, sitting back down into the saddle and gathering the contact as the muscles of Zero's hind legs pushed them safely away from the jump and towards the finish flags.

Keeping a light contact with Zero's mouth, just enough to guide him, Heero gave the gray all the rein he could and urged him on with his legs. Zero responded with enthusiasm, flattening his body as he sprang into a gallop and shot through the finish, breaking the electronic timer beam and stopping the clock. The crowd erupted into cheers and applause but Heero didn't get a chance to see what his time was, Zero was enjoying the gallop way too much and Heero had his hands full trying to bring the stallion back to a canter to exit the arena and let the next competitor enter. Finally he managed to bring the reluctant horse back to a slower pace and looked for the exit.

He spotted Duo bouncing up and down in excitement in the collecting ring and turned Zero in that direction. As he made his way to the exit he saw Treize preparing his horse for his jump off round. The loud speaker crackled into life.

"Clear round in a time of 47.21. We have a new leader, ladies and gentlemen with two riders remaining. Can Susan Walker or Treize Khushrenada beat the time of 47.21? "

The rest of the announcer's words faded into the background. _47.21. Well, shit!_ thought Heero as he exited the ring.

"That was some pretty classy jumping there."

Heero quickly dragged himself from his thoughts as he heard the words spoken to him and turned to see Treize waiting for his turn to enter the ring. "Thanks."

"You've certainly set a cracker of a time to beat but I'm going to give it a good shot," said Treize with a friendly grin.

Heero grinned back. "Best of luck," he replied.

Treize urged his horse forwards away from the arena entry to walk him around and keep him warm, Heero slipped into the collecting ring, accepting the congratulations from the other competitors with a modest grace as he fought his way through to where Duo was standing a little to the side awaiting him. As soon as he pulled up beside Duo, the vet was stuffing Zero with carrots. Heero kicked his feet free of the stirrups and dismounted.

"That was fantastic, Zero," Duo said as he petted the horse and fed him more carrots. "You were really something out there, boy."

Zero wuffled happily and wolfed down the carrots. He knew he'd been good.

"What about me?" asked Heero. "I was a part of the team too, Zero didn't do it all by himself," he said trying to look hurt at his boyfriend's lack of acknowledgment.

"I suppose you did okay," teased Duo.

"Just okay?"

"Heero, if I was to show you exactly how relieved, excited, happy and proud of you I am, I fear we would be arrested. I do promise, however, to show you precisely how much when we get home." Duo gave his lover a warm smile and a squeeze to his shoulder. "Heero, you were simply wonderful to watch. The rapport you have with Zero is a pleasure to behold. It's as if the two of you can read each other's minds. I'm sure you have won."

Heero felt the warmth flood his body with his lover's words. Right now he was on cloud nine and didn't give a shit what happened. He'd cleared the course, not just once but twice; he'd conquered that demon once and for all and he'd set them all a fast time to beat. He couldn't do any more. Win, lose or draw, Heero was happy.

The sound of falling poles greeted their ears and Heero was quick to turn back to the ring where Susan had sent the triple flying.

"Four faults and a time of 51.92. Heero Yuy still leads the competition with a time of 47.21 and we have one rider left to go. Can he beat Heero Yuy's time?" 

"I don't know whether I want to watch or not," said Duo with a shudder. "I think you're going to be hard to beat, Heero, but I suppose anything is possible."

"Hai, Duo. Showjumping is a funny game. You never know what's going to happen and Treize is an exceptional rider. I don't know too much about this horse he's on but if anyone is going to better Zero's time it will be him."

"Then I suppose asking that woman over there if she would sing is out of the question?"

Heero looked where Duo indicated to see a very large woman watching the jumping. He snorted and laughed. "Duo!? You're a cheeky bastard sometimes."

"Ahh, but you love me anyway."

"Hai, that I do," Heero returned softly. "Come on, let's see how Treize does."

The pair moved a little closer to the ring ropes where they could see Treize and his round a little better. Duo could see what Heero meant when he said that Treize was a skilled rider. Now he saw first hand why the man had been an Olympic silver medalist. Treize also appeared to be one with his horse, his judgment of striding and placing his horse in the best possible position to clear each fence was phenomenal. Duo could see that the liver chestnut lacked experience, but it made up for it with sheer courage and trust in its rider.

Heero's eyes switched from the competitor to the electronic clock. Treize was clear so far and going at a good pace. 30... 31... 32... The seconds ticked away as Treize approached the gate and cleared it with inches to spare. 35...36... 37... Treize was angling his horse for the wall, attempting the same maneuver as Zero had done. Heero's heart began to race and he found himself fidgeting.

"Don't bite your fingernails," Duo snickered beside him.

Heero harrumphed but lowered his hand from his mouth where he'd been nibbling without knowing it. He took a peek at Duo from the corner of his eye to find that the vet was chewing on the end of his braid. "Duo, stop biting your hair," he replied with a smirk.

"Can't help it. I haven't got any fingernails left," grinned Duo.

"You'll get a hair ball."

"Then lend me your fingernails to chew instead."

"Baka," said Heero affectionately as he slapped Duo's hand away from the braid of hair and then turned back to the ring.

Epyon was about to jump the wall, Treize having brought the animal in beautifully. The clock was still ticking away. Epyon cleared the wall and landed safely, Treize gathering the horse together quickly and setting his sights on the triple. Epyon didn't handle the turn as well as Zero had, taking three strides to turn as opposed to Zero's two. It meant that the liver chestnut would have to put in an extra couple of strides to meet the triple correctly and extra strides meant extra time.

Heero's eyes flicked from the horse to the clock and back to the horse. Epyon was taking off over the triple, back arching beautifully as he cleared the fence and landed to be spurred on to the finish by his determined rider.

44... 45... 46...

Heero couldn't bear to watch any longer and closed his eyes. He heard a cheer go up from the crowd and felt his heart plummet. Seconds later he had a rather excited Duo grab him in a bear hug.

"You won! Heero, you won! You hear me? Heero... YOU WON!!!" Duo yelled as he embraced the accountant. Duo didn't give a shit who saw him hugging his boyfriend. He could pass it off as simply being the excitement of the moment and congratulating his partner.

Heero blinked and drew in a breath to starved lungs. Just when had he held his breath anyway? His arms automatically went around Duo and he hugged the vet back. His eyes strayed to the electronic clock to confirm Duo's words, not that he didn't trust Duo, he just needed to see the evidence for himself.

48.01 glared back at him and only then did the reality sink in.

He'd won.

Zero had done it.

Against all the odds they had managed to come back and not only compete again; but win.

Seconds later the loud speaker confirmed it. "Ladies and gentlemen. Clear round in a time of 48.01. The winner of the Open Table A Showjumping competition is Heero Yuy on Zero."

Heero was close to tears, the euphoria he was feeling had no comparison; well maybe one, when Duo had made love to him last night, but right now Heero was simply floating. In a daze he felt Duo's arms leave him and turned to see Duo's ecstatic face beaming back at him. "I won," he managed to breathe out, his tone one of disbelief.

"Yes, Heero! You won!" laughed Duo. The vet was close to tears himself. All the trials of the past months had been worth it and Duo couldn't have been happier than if he'd ridden the course himself. "Come on, you have to get mounted and go get your rosette and cup." Duo moved to Zero's head to hold the horse for Heero to mount. "You hear that, Zero? You won. Clever boy, you were great!"

Zero wasn't completely sure what was going on but he could tell from the excitement in the air that he'd done something good. Politely he asked for another carrot, sniffing Duo's pockets with hopeful eyes.

Duo gave him another carrot while Heero, still in a daze, managed to mount the horse.

"Number fourteen?" called the gate marshal. "If you're ready, please go in. Number eighteen, follow on then sixteen..."

Heero collected his reins and with a wide grin at Duo, he turned Zero and entered the ring for the presentation of the rosettes and cup. Behind him Treize and the other place getters followed. Heero halted the stallion by the judge’s box where the judge and Lady Une were waiting with the rosettes and the large, silver cup. Once all the competitors were lined up, the judge approached and placed the blue, first place rosette on Zero's bridle and shook hands with Heero.

"That was a magnificent piece of riding and tactical maneuvering," said the judge. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," replied Heero. "I'm just lucky enough to have a good horse underneath me."

"It took more than a good horse to pull that off, it took skilled riding as well and you showed a lot of people today just what a good rider can do."

Heero felt himself go red with the praise from the judge and managed to mutter another thank you through his embarrassment. A large, silver cup was handed to him and he managed to regain enough of his composure to thank Lady Une, the sponsor of the cup. The officials moved further down the line to congratulate the other riders and Heero was left alone with his thoughts for a few moments. Idly he patted the strong, gray neck before him, vowing to give Zero not only extra carrots in his feed tonight but he'd also throw in a few apples too and to hell with the slobber. The sound of a voice drew him from his thoughts and he turned slightly in his saddle to see the amused eyes of Treize looking at him. "Sorry, did you say something?" asked Heero feeling a little more than embarrassed.

"I said, congratulations. You rode extremely well."

"Thank you. I thought you were going to beat me though."

"Maybe next time," smiled Treize. "Epyon here needs a little more experience yet but he did try really hard for me so I'm pleased with him." Treize patted the shoulder of his horse.

"He's got a lot of potential," replied Heero as he eyed the liver chestnut.

"Yes, he does and so do you and your gray."

Yet again Heero found his cheeks coloring with the praise.

They didn't have a chance to continue their talk as the judge had finished placing the rosettes on the horses and was signaling for them to do their lap of honor. Heero collected his reins and with the cup tucked under his arm he led the rest of the competitors in a canter around the arena to the applause of the crowd. As they reached the exit so Treize pulled his horse alongside Heero.

"Heero, I like your style of riding, I like the way you handle your horse and I think you have the ability and talent to make it to the top given the right assistance." Treize fished in his pocket for a moment and handed Heero a business card. "I'd like to offer you a place in my stable if you're interested."

Heero stopped Zero in his tracks and turned to fully face the other man, his mouth opening and closing like a stranded fish. "Ah... Errr... Ummm..." Treize laughed. "Go home and think about it. Give me a call on the number on the card and I will explain things in more detail to you. Don't make a decision now, you're still too high on adrenaline from the competition. I do expect to hear from you in a few days though. Congratulations once again." With that, Treize turned his horse and rode away, leaving Heero wondering what had happened to his life all of a sudden. 

"Heero? Hey, buddy. Earth to Heero, come in, Heero."

"Huh? What?" Heero shook himself and stared down to see Duo grinning like the Cheshire cat at him.

"Geeze, I've heard about success going to your head and all that shit but in your case I think your brain got hijacked."

"Aa." Heero handed Duo the large, silver cup so he could dismount. The card Treize had given him he put into his pocket for now. He'd think about that a bit more later.

"What did Treize want?" asked Duo as he assisted Heero to run the stirrups up and loosen Zero's girth.

"He was congratulating me," replied Heero. It wasn't a complete lie. Treize had been congratulating him, Heero simply omitted to tell his lover the rest of the conversation and offer Treize had made. Heero wanted to mull it over a little first before talking to Duo about it. Fortunately Heero was saved at that point as Hilde appeared to shower Heero with more praise, much to the accountant's embarrassment.

Eventually they managed to leave the collecting ring and head back to the horse float, Duo carrying the cup whilst Heero led his horse. Heero was looking forward to getting home, putting Zero away and having a nice, hot shower followed by some quality snuggle time with Duo. Zero was looking forward to a comfortable stable and dinner, preferably with a truckload of carrots. Duo was busy planning out where in the lounge room to put Heero's cup for maximum display.

Reaching the float, it didn't take them long to unsaddle, brush down Zero and put his rug on. Duo did his usual wrestling act with the gear and the trunk, somehow squashing it all back in for the trip home. Within half an hour they were leaving the grounds and heading back to the vet practice.

* * * 

When they arrived back at the surgery, Heero unloaded Zero from the float and put him away in his stable, Duo began to unpack the trunk, putting all the gear back into the shed. Once the float was cleaned out and the trunk empty, Heero backed up the float and they unhitched it. Duo headed out to the paddock with Scythe's dinner whilst Heero saw to Zero.

Duo gave the mare a run down on the day's events, not that she seemed to be listening much. She had her nose buried in the feed bin, the foal peeking out from behind her at Duo but not game to come too close. Duo ran his eye over both animals and was satisfied that they were okay then picked up the empty feed bucket and headed back to the stables where his partner was mixing up the morning feeds. With the work out of the way they walked hand in hand to the house.

Once inside the kitchen, Duo put the kettle on and rummaged around in the 'fridge to find something for dinner. Heero took his jacket through to the bedroom and went to take a shower. The 'phone began to ring and Duo answered it. It was Hilde just checking that they had made it home okay and wanting to congratulate Heero once more. Duo chatted for a while, until Heero got out of the shower and then he put the accountant on the line so he could finish cooking dinner.

The 'phone rang again, several times and each time it was someone ringing to congratulate Heero on his win. Heero politely answered the calls and graciously accepted the congratulations. Quatre was the last one to call and it took Heero ages to get off the 'phone to him. Wearily, Heero walked through to the kitchen where something smelt delicious.

Duo dropped the two plates to the kitchen table. "It's only a salad and quiche," he said apologetically.

"Duo, it's fine," smiled Heero. "Thanks."

Duo returned the smile and sat down to eat. 

During the drive home from the show and the course of his shower, Heero had thought more on the proposal from Treize. He had to admit that the prospect was tempting. He wanted to find out more about it though before committing to it and also wanted to see what Duo's reaction and input would be. Tentatively he approached the subject with his long haired lover. "Duo?"

"Yes, Heero?"

"When Treize was congratulating me on my win he also offered me a position riding in and for his stable." _Well, nothing like coming straight out with it,_ Heero's brain said.

"Oh." Duo paused in his eating as Heero's words sunk home. A million things went through Duo's mind, the main one being, 'Did this mean that Heero would be leaving?' He felt his heart drop and his breathing hitch. "That's what you wanted, wasn't it?" Duo couldn't stop the pain from filling his voice.

"Duo?" Heero picked up on the vet's unease and was confused for a moment. "Duo, what's wrong?"

Duo placed his knife and fork on his plate, his appetite gone. "This is the chance you've been waiting for, the chance to break into the big time. Right?"

"It is an opportunity of a life time, yes."

"Then I think you should take it. I won't hold you back; I've told you that before, Heero. It's your dream to ride for your country and I want you to succeed in that dream. Although..." Duo swallowed hard and tried to keep the tears from flooding his eyes. "I'll miss you, Heero."

"Duo? I don't get it. What do you mean, you'll miss me? I'm not going anywhere, am I?" Heero was really confused now.

Duo raised his eyes and met Heero's troubled gaze. "If you are going to ride for the Khushrenada stable then you will have to channel all your energies into that. You won't have time for the practice, you'll be too busy over there. Besides, you don't need a backwoods vet practice tying you down, or the vet for that matter..." Duo's words trailed off, his voice clearly struggling with the misery he was feeling. "I'm sorry, I should be happy for you, Heero, but... I guess I thought I had finally found someone with whom I could spend the rest of my life... someone who loved me for - for who I am. I guess now that you've gotten into my pants..." Duo couldn't finish, he was too choked up. Abruptly he stood, scraping his chair back and fled from the room; he didn't want Heero to see him cry.

With Duo's sudden departure and words, the pieces all fell into place for Heero and his heart ached. Duo thought he was going to leave him because of the job offer. Nothing could be further from the truth though and Heero knew he had to fix this, had to let Duo know that he wasn't about to give up the vet so easily. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Heero stood up and headed in the direction of Duo's bedroom where he'd heard the door slam. He knocked softly on the door. "Duo? Duo, can I come in? We need to talk."

There was no answer forthcoming and Heero strained his ears. He could swear he could hear something, something that sounded like muffled sobbing. Without waiting any longer for an answer, Heero opened the door and walked inside the bedroom. Duo lay on the bed, his face buried in the pillow whilst his shoulders shook. Instantly Heero was across the room and sitting beside his lover. Tentatively he reached out and rubbed Duo's back; the sobbing increased. "Duo? Please, talk to me," Heero begged.

"Go away," was the muffled reply.

"No, Duo. I'm not going to leave, not until you hear exactly what I have to say. Then, if you still want me to leave, I will." Heero lowered his head and began to talk. "Duo, Treize offered me a place in his stable because he thinks that Zero and I have the potential to go on to better things. I haven't agreed to anything yet and I don't know if I will. He told me to think about it for a few days and then call him and he would explain the entire offer to me. I will admit that it is tempting and I would dearly love the chance to do this, but..." Heero noted that the sobbing had slowed a little and he pressed on. "But before I commit I want to know everything that is involved. Yes, it will take up more of my time but I also have responsibilities here, to you and the practice. As much as I would love the chance to improve and possibly be selected for international competition I won't do it at the risk of neglecting the business or the possibility of losing you. Duo, when I said I loved you, I meant it. You mean more to me than life itself and if it comes down to a choice between you or the possibility of international competition then I will be choosing you. Duo, without you there beside me I don't want to compete, I don't want to ride. You're my reason for competing, to see the look on your face when Zero and I manage to be successful means everything to me. You have done so much for Zero and myself that I can never repay you for; all I can offer you is my love, my body, my heart and my soul."

As Duo listened to Heero's words could tell the accountant was serious, the tone of his voice said it all. Duo analyzed Heero's words and his pain began to ease a little. He realized then just how much Heero did love him and Duo felt ashamed at his actions, ashamed of his behavior and annoyed that he'd jumped to conclusions without giving Heero the chance to explain properly. He sniffed and then raised himself up, wrapping his arms around Heero and burying his face in the other man's shoulder. 

"I'm sorry, Heero. I jumped to conclusions, I had no right to say what I did. I should have known better. All this time you have never given me reason to doubt you or your motives; you have always been open and honest with me, a perfect gentleman. Not once have you tried to push me into something I'm not ready for. You've stood by me when I needed you, helped me out countless times with the practice and never questioned anything. Heero?" Duo raised his head from the crook of Heero's shoulder and gazed deep into his boyfriend's eyes. "Heero, I love you too, so much that it hurts. I apologize for my reactions, my behavior, I should have known better. I don't want you to pass up this opportunity, I'd never forgive myself for being selfish enough to prevent you from going on and being something great. I want you to talk to Treize, get all the information you can and then, when you're ready make your decision. Whatever the outcome, I'll back you one hundred percent."

With tears of his own about to spill over, Heero leaned in and took a kiss. His mouth met with the vet's brushing lightly at first and then deepening. It was sweet, soft and sensual, something they both needed very much at that point. "Arigato, Duo. That means more to me than you will ever know. I promise to ring Treize in a couple of days and see if I can make an appointment with him to meet and discuss everything that would be involved, but only on one condition."

"Condition?"

"I want you to be there with me. You have as much right to know what is going to be involved as I do and I refuse to commit either way without seeking your thoughts on the matter. Whatever my decision it will affect you too, Duo; not only you but the practice as well and Treize needs to know that I have other commitments to meet." Seeing how his lover was about to protest, Heero shut him up in the only way he knew possible; he kissed him. When the kiss broke they were both a little short of breath. "Make love to me, Duo?" Heero softly pleaded as he kissed away the tears along Duo's cheek. "Take me to bed and make slow, gentle love to me. I need to feel you close to me, please?"

"Oh, Heero," murmured Duo and hugged the accountant tighter. "Of course I will. Anything, I'll give you anything you want."

Clothes rapidly became history, naked skin met with naked skin whilst soft moans invaded the air. Fingers stroked over familiar territory, arousing and stimulating as they went. A finger slid inside a welcoming passage, soon to be followed by a second and then third. Duo's fingers moved in and out of Heero with ease, the muscles relaxing and admitting his intrusion. As the muscles relaxed so the body came alive with desire.

"Need you, need you so much," moaned Heero as his hips thrust in countenance to Duo's fingers.

As Duo's fingers continued to prepare the heated channel, Duo's mouth worked over the remaining skin of Heero's body, kissing, licking and nibbling his way over the broad expanse of golden flesh. He teased Heero's nipples until they were rigid with arousal, feathered touches over the soft abdomen, snickering as the muscles shivered under his touch. He found the heavy sac between Heero's legs and nuzzled at it before licking along the underside of Heero's cock and pressing a kiss to the weeping tip.

Heero was slowly but surely being driven insane with need as Duo continued to torment his body. His balls were heavy and aching, his cock swollen and desperate for attention, his passage clenched around the fingers thrusting inside, seeking more stimulation that would lead to release. When Duo brushed against his prostate, Heero screamed. "Oh gods, Duo. Now, take me now. I can't wait any longer. Please."

Heero's begging was sweet music to Duo's ears and he smiled at his wanton lover, legs spread wide, offering himself to Duo. Gently he slipped his fingers from inside the tight heat and sat back to coat his cock thoroughly in lube, aware of Heero's eyes following his movements. Satisfied that he was slick enough, Duo tossed the tube to the side and settled once more between his partner's legs. He guided the tip of his arousal to rest against Heero's pink entrance and paused. "I love you Heero," he said softly and began to press forwards. 

Cobalt eyes drifted shut as the burn of penetration made itself known. Heero bit his lip and willed himself to relax. It didn't hurt, just felt uncomfortable as the initial stretching by Duo's fingers had been thorough. Heero knew that once Duo was inside fully that the discomfort would ease and pleasure would soon take over. The slide of Duo's cock felt deliciously wicked, pushing and probing along his inner walls, teasing the nerve endings and stimulating his body. It didn't take Duo long to completely penetrate him and as Duo's forward pushing came to a stop, Heero let out a satisfied sigh. It felt good to be filled.

"You okay?" asked Duo as he brushed the bangs away from Heero's face.

"Couldn't be better, Duo."

Duo groaned as Heero flexed his anal muscles around his cock. "Bastard," he hissed as he rolled his hips and managed to push against Heero's prostate at the same time.

"Ahhh..." moaned Heero as his body jolted with liquid pleasure.

Gently, Duo began to withdraw and then push back in. "So tight, so hot," he murmured as he began to find a rhythm.

Very soon they were both thrusting against each other, Heero's hips pushing up to meet Duo's inward thrust, the sensations similar and yet different for both of them. Nerves were reawakened, stimulated and teased as pleasure coursed through their respective bodies. For Duo it was even better the second time around. He now had a little more experience and remembering what had felt good last time he tried to repeat and expand upon it. Both began to sweat heavily, skin slapping against skin as Duo repeatedly thrust in and out of Heero.

Feeling his excitement beginning to build, Duo sought out Heero's cock that was trapped between them. He curled his fingers around the length and began to pump; beneath him Heero moaned and writhed. Duo ran a thumb over the head and spread the leaking precum before pumping with determination.

"Ah, yes..." moaned Heero as his body was flooded with sensation. He could feel his balls drawing close as his desire mounted. Duo's cock hit his prostate from time to time, fueling his need for release and he found himself drawing closer to the ultimate end. "Oh, Duo. More, faster, I need to come," he panted out and then groaned loudly as his vision was assaulted by pretty colored lights.

Duo was close to his own end and wanted to see Heero come first. He redoubled his efforts, stroking Hero's cock a little faster and squeezing it as he pumped. He felt the passage begin to flex around his shaft and thrust harder. Then Heero's body was beginning to stiffen, his back arching as warm seed erupted from his cock and his sheath clamped down around Duo's cock. The exquisite tightness of Heero's passage combined with the erotic moans from the accountant's mouth were the final trigger for Duo and the vet welcomed his orgasm. It tore through him, rising up from deep inside his gut to sear along his nerves, bathing him in ultimate bliss as his essence spurted out from the tiny slit to be swallowed by Heero's hungry channel.

They both floated in their respective euphoria for a while, simply enjoying the waves of pleasure that rolled through their bodies before slowly returning to the current plane. Duo carefully withdrew and rolled to the side, Heero immediately following him and snuggling close.

"Thank you," murmured Heero. "I needed that." Heero burrowed deeper into his lover's arms.

"I needed it too, Heero," replied Duo softly as he cuddled his lover. He felt a little sticky and very sweaty but the cleaning up could wait. Right now Duo was content to simply lie in his lover's embrace and enjoy some snuggling.

They remained cuddled together for a while, each lost in their own thoughts but comfortable with the silence. Duo was thinking about the practice and Heero's chance to ride for Treize. His mind was busy trying to think of ways that they could manage the secretarial side of the business and give Heero the maximum amount of time away from the practice to be able to fulfill his dream. He was certain that something could be worked out; they just had to find the solution. Tired of chasing his thoughts in circles, Duo opted to leave them for now, once they had spoken with Treize and had all the details on the offer it would be easier to work out a viable plan.

Heero's mind was on Duo and the practice, also thinking of ways he could possibly combine his life's dream with the love of his life.

"Stop thinking," came Duo's voice through the darkness.

"Sorry. I was just trying to..."

"Shhh... Put it all out of your head, Heero. Once you have spoken with Treize we will know what we're working with, then we can organize the practice and your involvement from there. Until then, relax, sleep and dream of success."

 

"I love you, Duo Maxwell," said Heero softly as he sought the vet's lips and kissed them. "I thank my lucky stars that the day I had my fall you were there to help. You surely were heaven sent."

"Awww... Don't go getting all sappy on me, Heero," said Duo with a crack in his voice.

"Not sappy, just love you so much."

Content to lie and enjoy the moment, the pair slowly drifted off into sleep. 

In the stables, Zero shifted his weight from one hind leg to the other, dozing lightly. He was tired but happy. His belly was full and he'd had an extra treat - apples.

Out in the paddock Scythe lay on the grass, Shinigami curled up beside her. She nuzzled the foal gently and gave a warm, deep throated wuffle.

Life was good.

~ OWARI ~

 

Sadly all things must come to a close and this is the ending for this particular fic. Before I conclude though, I'd like to say a couple of things. Firstly there will be a sequel to this. Many people have asked about a continuation and in fact there will be 2 more fics to follow on giving a mini arc of sorts. I hope you will return to read them and enjoy them as much as you have this one.  
Secondly I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to my two betas; Yami_tai and Ryouga. Both have done a marvelous job in correcting my spelling and terrible grammar, they are worth their weight in gold to me. Arigato girls!  
Big hugs go to Leslie who gave me the plot bunny for this and allowed me to combine it with another idea I'd had floating in my head for a while. Without the subtle push this would never have made it to the written word.  
Lastly, to you the readers. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for reading the fic. To those of you who have e-mailed me privately or left a review on one of the sites this is archived at, I thank you. Your encouragement, kind words and support have gotten me through some tough times and given me the inspiration to keep going.

For those that have asked and those that are simply curious; Zero is based on my own showjumper 'Teddy Bear' who is in reality a black/brown part Freisian part Australian Riding Pony gelding and stands only 14.1 1/2 hh. 'Bear' is now coming up for 30yrs of age and has been retired from competition for the last 4 years. He is a small horse with a huge heart and taught me so much about partnerships, trust and the thrill of jumping. 

He also has a love of carrots...


End file.
